The Boy Downstairs

If you don't like "emotional journey" films about millennials you will not like this film. That probably explains the low rating. Diana (Zosia Mamet) is an aspiring writer, as in she hasn't actually published anything yet. She is moving back to New York after some time in London. She rents a spacious brownstone apartment only to find out later that the person renting the apartment downstairs is Ben - the guy she had a serious relationship with and broke up with before she went to London, saying that it was about him being trapped and shackled to her aspirations when in fact she was just afraid of stepping into that cosmic void called commitment.

What makes it interesting? Diana is not classically beautiful. In fact, objectively, she is physically plain bordering on homely. The nice thing is that this does not seem to effect her confidence, the nicer thing is this is not about an ugly duckling turning into a swan - she has the same uneven bite, stringy hair, and dark eyebrows that do not match her blonde hair at the end of the film that she had at the start. What makes it really interesting are the little things - Diana working retail at a tony "wedding store" where she gets yelled at by customers who are much richer and prettier than she is about things (colors available) over which she has no control.;Her very beautiful friend finding out that the guy to whom she is very attracted is just stashing her - she is a friend with benefits without the friendship -she is a "plate" to use red pill language; Ben's live in girlfriend thinking that every chance encounter is Diana obsessing over Ben , and maybe she is obsessing, but most of the time Diana really is just raking leaves or returning a misdelivered package.

The weird stuff? In what universe do 20 somethings who are aspiring writers and musicians get to live in upscale Manhattan brownstones while working for minor duckets at a retail job? Celebrities live in those kinds of places! But then that would make the film about battling bedbugs and detract from the emotional turmoil. Oh, and it's also weird to have a landlady with whom you have no history, who is 30 years older than you, suddenly want to become besties. Maybe in Nebraska, but not in New York.

One more thing - something that confused me at first, but is actually a feature of the film. It goes back and forth between Diana's present and her past relationship with Ben. If you don't get that you'll think Ben is cheating on his girlfriend with Diana one minute and acting ambivalent towards Diana the next. He is not.

I really enjoyed this film, minimal bad language or objectionable content, great acting and story. There are some movies, where the silence portrays so much and it feels like you are just watching a real relationship develop. This was one of those films. More like this please.

Sometimes a movie gets lost in the shuffle. Certainly the plot is old and often told but movie making is all in the telling. Zosia Mamet give a memorable performance with an authenticity that moves one and forces identification. Her performance is so effortless that it is easy to miss the exceptional acting. Which means that the acting was superb. The movie captures the hesitation to expose feelings in love while recognizing that the goal of love is to share life with someone who loves you as well. Perhaps the promotion was weak. But this movie is a must see and brings a catharsis to all who struggle with commitment but do dare to risk to truly love and be loved.

I honestly usually despise romantic comedies or romantic type movies in general, but this one was done well. I was captivated by the characters and their realistic/mundane lives that were intertwined with emotions, heartbreak, and love. The acting was also pretty great, you really felt as though the characters were genuinely in love. Overall it was very good.

I do think your enjoyment of this will hinge on your tolerance for the acting style of Zosia Mamet. If you have not seen Girls then you should know that Zosia acts in a particular style. Lots of ummms.... etc. This doesn't bother me.

The story is a bit refreshing as well. Basically a girl is about to head off to London for an extended time there (2 years or more) when she meets someone. She chooses to break it off because of that and, upon returning to New York, unknowingly rents out an apartment in the same building as her ex. Awkward hijinks ensue.

Both characters were well written and seemed like real people. Many of the situations they found themselves in did not seem unreasonable and were interesting. I particularly liked her love interest in both how he acted and how he looked as he was not the typical hollywood love interest.