By the Sea

I travel a lot, so I'll go to see a lot of films. I remember "By The Sea" because it was playing at both the Palm Beach international Film Festival and the Miami Latin Film Festival at the same time…I thought that was interesting and what could this film have in common with these two diverse film groups? Anyways, I didn't make either showing, but now I finally bought a used CD and was delighted. Except, for the lead (Lena) always crying, I really enjoyed this indie. The characters were so great.

(which is probably why everyone enjoys it) that I can't which is my favorite. I did get have a good laugh when the Chef Toscano saying "Ah, being human annoys me." The story was simple, but sweet. And I didn't expect Lena to return from New York. The hour and a half zipped by and I probably will play it again.

Is this really a movie? It is more like a midnight TV show with cheesy lines and that feelings of even the actors know that they are acting. The only thing that kept me watching was the ghost story. Other than that, nothing was memorable.

There were several things that don't make sense. one of the guy has two good eyes, but he chose to cover one of his eye all the time. Another time, when the protagonist opened the door, she saw a big tsunami coming. However, it is not related to anything that happened after. In that entire hotel by the beach, there was zero guest, while three people were hired to work in the kitchen?

The plot is stilted and inconsistent, with fantasy elements that make no sense and add nothing to the story. Attempts at comic relief are silly and ineffective. The characters are stereotypes and the actors are wooden. And if these flaws aren't bad enough, the cinematography is poor--several scenes are too dark to see well.

"By The Sea" is a quiet film with light charms and an enduring theme to pull it all together. The performances range from measured to a little over the top, but an appealing love story can forgive a bit of exuberance.

Lena is a young Cuban-American chef who leaves her New York life behind after her imagined future falls like a ruined soufflé'. She lands a job at a New England inn and starts to navigate a new future. She never imagines that the game of baseball and a new love would combine to challenge her long held assumptions about her destiny. This film deals with a classic theme, but the presentation is inventive and manages to meld an eclectic cast in ways you wouldn't expect. If you want a formula love story, this is not your film. The setting is a pure delight and provides the texture that memorable stories require. Elena Aaron lends a demure and sexy quality to a character who begins to know and accept herself as the film progresses. She holds the screen, but remains understated in general. Watch for the small moments, and you'll find that they add up to a creative, fun and worthwhile experience. You'll simply enjoy this film.

Simple stories done well usually do well. This was a simple story. First though, the plot was unnecessarily complicated with too much ghost/flashback/memory, and not enough credible detail. And, there were about as many decent actors properly cast, as there were bad actors and miscasts. But what kind of theatre was going on here? What language were these people speaking - period English?

Could have been a good low budget 'B' film with good direction, editing, and cinematography . . . but somebody(dies) got too caught up with doing something more than they could handle.

It's an OK movie to look at while you are cooking supper and talking on the phone, or ironing while thinking about planning your vacation. In short, this film makes it as Musak, but not as cinema. But it could have been better. The best efforts come in the first couple of scenes. After that you'd think that the director and producer were on straight morphine, and cast just showed up each day and did the best they could.