Elena Undone

This movie is one everyone should see. The truth is that people fall in love; it can be messy; people may get hurt. The more complex reality is that we can really "sleep half our lives away" and wake to find our life is not what we believed it to be. We can have the best intentions; make the most detailed plan for our lives and wake to find nothing is the same.

Two women of good intention-adoption for God's sake- find themselves involved in an escalating romance. It doesn't matter what you think about gay, lesbian or even broken marriage vows, it happens.

And, the simple truth is no one talks about how a woman's world is split open by discovering that she can be sexually and romantically involved with another woman when that has never seemed "imaginable to her." No one talks about the collateral damage a woman will do on both sides of the equation because she has been conditioned to compromise, to "work it out."

So, Elena Undone talks about it; shows it; let's you live it for just a little while. Long kisses, glorious love-making, mine-field maneuvering in the land of disintegrating marriage; heart breaking choices in the pool of self-protection; and the simple notion that once the wreckage has been sorted, if it's true love, there is hope. That's all any of us want to believe, really. There is hope. AM I a romantic? Sure. I am living proof that the wreckage doesn't have to bury the flame. Twenty five years after meeting; with an 11 year separation, my soul mate and I just marked 13 years in June.

Go see the movie. Leave all your baggage at home. It's a movie. It tells a story and it makes you feel good; not bad...good!

Elena Undone is by far, the best lesbian movie I've ever seen. The chemistry between the two women is palpable, the script is well written and believable, and the acting is wonderful by the two leading actresses as well as the supporting cast. Traci Dinwiddie (Peyton) especially stands out when she is preparing to share her feelings with her up-til-then platonic friend. Her discomfort yet innocent naivety was delightful. She conveys with one raised eyebrow or sigh, her embarrassed, self consciousness. There were two other scenes where she took my breath away: in the short love scene when her lover, Elena (Necar Zadegan), asserts herself sexually and Peyton is forced to face her own control & trust issues, fears, and vulnerability; and in the swimming pool when her pain overwhelms her after their breakup. Peyton's pain becomes our pain as she disappears sobbing underneath the shimmering water.

I actually regard The Longest Kiss as the first love scene in Elena Undone. The energy and determination with which Elena bursts into the room would cause any heart to race and the poignant dialogue between kisses rang so true that it only added to their rising passion. Necar Zadegan is enchanting as she wrestles with her new found reality of finding herself in love with a woman. She owns the screen in the morning-after breakfast scene and in the park when her dreams begin to crumble as Peyton emotionally steps back and pushes her away. Two other actresses deserve special mention: Mary Wells as Wave, Peyton's best friend, was fabulous! She's a best friend everyone would want. And Sabrina Fuster as Tori was simply charming. They both offered sterling performances.

One final mention…the music is remarkable. Between Jennifer Corday's "Make Me Come Undone", Marc Chait's score, and Sabrina Fuster's "Suddenly", the music pulls at our heartstrings and keeps us emotionally tuned in every moment.

In closing, I don't know how Nicole Conn does it. A great script is the key and this was indeed a wonderful, reality based script. The movie just gets better and better. It's important to note too that Nicole Conn has given us more than just a lesbian movie. It's a movie about relationships and an affirmation that if we pay close attention and truly show up in our lives, then our chances of finding love is better than we think.

Janet Liss

I did not like the presentation of the husband. He just didn't work as a conservative pastor or as a man. That said I thought that every other thing resonated with truth.

One aspect of love and affairs that rarely gets attention is the feelings of the third party. Peyton in this film gets to have the range of emotion, loving the individual , not knowing where exactly they fit in, not knowing when or if they will get to share their love in the open. It tears at the soul, it sows doubt and Nicole Conn gives us an inspection of that part of love, that pain. We also get the pain and doubt and confusion of the person who wasn't looking for love, but found it none the less.

It is a thoughtful film, it is a romantic film. It has some of the most sensuous love scenes that I can recall and yet nothing explicit enough to actually offend any but those who are predisposed to offence. You could watch this with your adult children and not be embarrassed.

It is absolutely amazing film. I've seen a lot of LGBT movies so far but this one took my breath away. So intense and passionate ... The chemistry between both actresses is almost unbelievable. The story itself is very nice and everyone who really loved someone would easily connect with it. Actually I've seen it just about 30 times already and still feel the need to see it.

Seeing all the eye contacts between both women, specially Peyton's left me drowning in her eyes ... not to mention all the scenes with intimacy between both ... you can feel the passion and flames so you almost forgot to breathe ... or want to replace one of the actor with yourself ...

When I saw this movie for the first time I didn't know what to expect (seeing so many films with sad or a bit stupid endings) but watching it over and over again I concentrate myself only on the story of both women ... it actually reminded me I felt the same once and still feel the same but I am not sure if that amazing person feels the same about me ...

So ... if you're still questioning yourself if it's possible to find your soul-mate ... or such love - then don't question anymore and watch this film. I am sure it will not let you undone!

To start out I'm going to say that Nicole Conn makes films about romance. If you've seen her other works (not counting the documentary about her son) I think it's clear that she is not going for the more edgy drama or romantic comedy she's trying for and I quote the film "the romance in love." That being said, I think this is her best dramatic feature yet. Budget with independent film, particularly lesbian or gay themed films, is always an issue which is why I think a lot of the time we get films that look like they were shot on a Sony handicam and have lead actors with about as much acting talent as a junior high drama club. I have to applaud the production team for being able to get the caliber of people that they did to make this film. The leads are stunning and have a very natural chemistry between them plus they can act! The camera work is good and the set designs were natural and realistic to the characters. There are other things in the film that aren't particularly noteworthy like the wardrobe and soundtrack but again I think those things are more of a budget thing. Okay yes the story does fall flat in certain spots and the rhythm does seem to shift in the second half of the film and yes there are some flaws in the editing (most of which I only noticed after watching my DVD about 10 times), but overall this is one of the better lesbian themed films out there. Again this film is not going to appeal to everyone, but to me this film does exactly what I think it promises which is to show you the romance in love. Hope this helps.