There were aspects of this movie that felt frustrating at times because so much of it was really well done. To me it felt like the director (who also wrote the script) seemed to assume that each and every beat needed to be spelled out to the audience, including a few moments where a character would LITERALLY announce what was already obvious to the viewer.
Why these decisions were made, I can't say, but it probably comes down to either inexperience, or notes given to the director by a nervous producer." Luckily, the film was redeemed by many positive attributes, and featured an honesty regarding relationships that was refreshing. And to be fair, they were obviously working with a limited budget, so some things might have been re-done or altered in a bigger production probably just had to be moved on from here.
Anyway, despite a few missteps, where it worked (and was often outstanding) was the overall scene work, the realistic pacing and the realism of the intimacy. And above all, the two lead actresses really carried the film to the finish, bringing you into their characters that felt organic. Both women felt physically and emotionally "real" in their roles, even when occasionally they had to read lines that were a little clunky. The sex also felt (mostly) natural, took it's time, and was imperfect in a way that did justice to the characters.
When other actors would overdo it or add some barely perceptible snark or coolness to their delivery: they didn't. They both just "felt" like were really living inside these roles, and it was also very much evident that the director knew just how to allow them to breathe into their scenes.
The music: The music aspect was integral to the storyline and was surprisingly good! But again, it would have been more effective had the director not leaned on it quite so much.
