Fingernails

Greetings again from the darkness. Certifiable love. Trust the science. Anna and Ryan are in love and they have the certification (and sore fingers) to prove it. One minor problem is that they don't seem to have much in common, other than a love for the fatty parts of a well-cooked steak. And even this common ground leads to a certain dishonesty. Writer-director Christos Nikou and his APPLES co-writer Stavros Raptis, along with co-writer Sam Steiner, have given us a film that appears to lean heavily into science-fiction, while also poking a bit of skepticism that direction.

Most of this film didn't work for me, however, the depth that the two lead actors, Jessie Buckley (I frequently recommend WILD ROSE, 2018) and Riz Ahmed (SOUND OF METAL, 2020, and an Oscar winner for his short film THE LONG GOODBYE, 2021), bring such an intimacy and sincerity to their scenes that we can almost overlook the absurdity of the story. And maybe that's the point.

Anna (Ms. Buckley) has recently lost her job as a teacher, and when she lands the job she wants as a trainer at The Love Institute, she opts not to tell her husband Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, "Shameless"). The Love Institute is run by Duncan (Luke Wilson) and the mission is to test couples for scientific compatibility in a long-term relationship. This is done by pulling a fingernail from each and testing in a machine invented by Duncan (don't worry, he is always looking to improve it). The idea is that science can take the guesswork out of relationships and put folks at ease that they found the "right" partner.

Of course, as soon as we see Anna and Amir (Mr. Ahmed) working alongside each other, we know where this is headed. The two actors are terrific together and excel at selective gazing, while maintaining professionalism. Science, chemistry, and biology all play a role here, but the thought that folks would volunteer to have their fingernails yanked out (while biting a block of wood) is ludicrous, even if the film opens by telling us fingernails often display the first symptoms of heart issues (physical not emotional). The film is evidently supposed to prove yet again that matters of romance are beyond the scope of science, even in movies.

Opens on AppleTV+ beginning November 3, 2023.

Fingernails started out with a pretty good premise--check your love for each other by testing an entire (painfully-removed) fingernail.

Jeremy Allen White (Lip from SHAMELESS) sleep-walks through his part in this story (not his fault, however) playing the sad, but happy, spouse.

Jessie Buckley appears to have gone to a blind chimpanzee to have her hair glued up sideways, and it never got better. The bed-head surely distracted from her appearance and acting ability.

As the story painfully progressed to the predictable conclusion, you are left asking yourself "Why didn't I stay home and floss the cat?" or "If they'd just turn down the air conditioning I could take a 90-minute nap in this building".

The most interesting film I've watched this year, that's for sure. "Fingernails" is nothing you'd expect -- it's got this test on love (quite literally) that will make you bite your nails, and your fingers, and close your eyes in the moment. With an A24-coded story concept that is weirdly satirical, it's one that has a satisfying tale of romance, an exploration of uncertain feelings, and what it means to crave that feeling. Both Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed have the perfect dynamic on-screen that I just cannot get enough of. These two are some of the very few actors I utterly admire and respect and so seeing them together in this film was something I really enjoyed. Everything was beautiful and entertaining in a way that would lure you into its world; with a production design that is just mesmerizing, and a soundtrack that perfectly fits with the characters' emotions. A perfect grasp of the desire for what "love" really depicts, and a perfect character study on a flawed character who is unsure of her feelings, while putting all her fate on a love test.

Yes, I watched this solely because Jessie Buckley starred. But after the disappointing damp squibs of Saltburn and Maestro I needed a decent cinema fix. And I got it.

Don't get me wrong the story of testing love by burning torn-out fingernails is a tad silly, but Buckley and Ahmed manage to bring it to life. Buckley is excellent as Anna, a girl who can't make up her mind who she loves.

For me the story was that you can find what you think is love, until you realise that perhaps it's a deep comforting sameness that you're in love with. A ritualistic familiarity that makes you feel safe. The familiar face at the end of the sofa is symbolic of home and it takes a big wrench to realise that that face doesn't make you 'want' anymore.

Along comes a handsome prince and all is lost. Because love so often comes on the back of desire. Anna found that she desired someone that she didn't love, but does love grow from desire? Without desire you simply have a best friend. With desire you have what we mostly believe of as love.

It's a complicated tale with not any easy answer. But it made for interesting viewing and was thought provoking about how we love and desire.

Director Christos Nikou's previous movie "Apples" was pretty great as it's an interesting bizarre movie with some interesting directions and themes explored. Nikou's direction was solid as his directing helps to balance out certain tones and atmospheres. The camerawork, production designs and the setting is solid. The narrative is an interesting concept on the ideas of romance, science fiction, and connection and while the concept does have some interesting themes, unfortunately, the narrative felt lacking as it doesn't really take full advantage of the creativity it could take and explores concepts that weren't investing.

The performances from the cast members are great as Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, Luke Wilson and everyone else all do a good job performing their roles. Including some pretty good dialogue between one another. But due to the lacking narrative, the characters weren't emotionally investing as the characters felt dull and uninteresting. There is some decent chemistry between the characters but they didn't feel strong or investing and the love triangle concept felt a bit forced. There are some styles and tones that felt too similar to Yorgos Lanthimos.

It's unfortunate cause this movie does have a good concept and cast but it unfortunately doesn't take full advantage of the creativity and felt lacking. Overall, it wasn't boring as there are some good concepts and performances but it feels like wasted potential.