Em

This story forcefully reminds you of the wonder of falling in love and the reckoning that can follow. The title character is portrayed by Stef Willen. Ms. Willen brings both vulnerability and grace to the screen. She commands your attention each time she appears. Nathan Wetherington also delivers a poignant performance as Josh. Beautiful cinematography is apparent from start to finish. Film was awarded the 2008 Seattle International Film Fesitval American Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Directed by Tony Barbieri. This film garnered producers Jim Jermanok and Harry Gregson-Williams an honor at the 2009 Brooklyn International film festival for Outstanding Achievement in Production.

This movie failed on many levels. Mostly, it was utterly humorless and it lacked any intelligence. The actress, Stef Willen, was strangely masculine and seemed more creepy than mentally ill. She was unlovable with her wacky hats and phony expressions,and it made no sense that he male lead would tolerate her. There was no exploration of mania other than she likes to sky dive or buy one way tickets. Absurd. The sex scenes were gratuitous and yucky. Why an aspiring actress would so degrade herself for this lousy film is sad. I hope never to see Stef Willen's bad acting and annoying face in any other film. This was a missed opportunity. A waste of time.

Em is a compelling and simple film. Subtle and beautiful, it unwraps the lives of two people struggling to come to peace with their emotions. Relating to anyone who has ever dealt with or encountered someone with a mental illness, Em is a movie that speaks to all generations.

Editing progresses the film quickly, relying on the viewer to fill in any gaps. Actors focus on relaying emotion rather than speaking lines and before you know it, you're hooked.

This movie achieves what every film should aspire to – it tells an intelligent and well planned story without any pretense. Told with the up most care, Tony Barbieri deserves great credit for creating a painfully honest film about what it means to love.

..it gives some idea of the film, that there are only ten IMDb written user reviews in total, and the last one is four years old.. hardly anyone's heard of Em, and assuredly less have actually seen it... but it had won accolades and awards at several film festivals.. and yet this is one of the best little films dealing with romance, heartbreak, and mental illness that you will be fortunate to come across.. and she is one of the best young actors that you will discover.. and yet according to IMDb she has only four productions to her credit.. {and with eight years on twitter only 169 followers).. it is unfathomable that it is only this one film production of hers having merit, and it's been her last major work since.. what happened to her.. that could be a story-line for a screenplay in itself..

This view is a spot on yet tender depiction of mental illness and its' ravages on a loving relationship. This is also a perfectly paced sad sweet love story that beautifully encapsulates the relationship in all its phases: discovery disappointment anguish and acceptance. I loved the way the film captured the city landscape as well as the interior landscape of the extremity of moods and the dashing of expectations that are part and parcel of bi-polar disorder. There are no cartoonish depictions, no sensationalism or oversimplification of the often misrepresented and constantly misunderstood realities of mental illness. It is also a visually gorgeous film saturated with color and a profundity of powerful images.