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 was disappointed and frustrated to see that the only review of this film so far was by a woman who had the nerve to dish on a film that she walked out of after only the first 40 minutes. Seems to me that that should automatically disqualify her review and critique on that grounds alone.

My partner and I, on the other hand, stayed for the entire film, and would have quite happily stayed for a second showing if they'd decided to have one. We agreed that it was the best lesbian film that we've ever seen (and we've seen most of them that are out there).

When the reality is that most (though thankfully not all) lesbian films are mediocre at best, and embarrassingly bad at worst, "Elena Undone" sets a new standard for what lesbian films can and should be: intelligently written, well-cast and well-acted and well-directed, with natural and believable dialogue, a storyline that is actually believable, and characters that you can relate to (and may even want to be friends with), and extremely erotic scenes that still manage to be tasteful and believable. It is rare to find all of these qualities in a mainstream blockbuster feature film, and nearly impossible to find them in lesbian movies, so I was thrilled almost beyond reason to see what can be accomplished in lesbian film-making.

And then there's the astounding beauty of the two co-stars and the incredible and believable passion and eroticism of the connection that builds between them as the movie evolves. To say that this was a satisfying element of the movie would be a serious understatement... I have never been so aroused by a film, and couldn't stop thinking about it for the entire week since I've seen it. I have watched the trailer at least once a day since and am totally hooked! I am not embarrassed to admit that I have fallen hopelessly in love with this exquisite film.

I encourage every woman-loving-woman out there (and our friends and allies) to do whatever it takes to SEE THIS FILM, even if it means buying it sight-unseen (yeah, it's THAT good!) We need to create a market for more high quality lesbian films like this, and the only way to do so is to provide support to the talented filmmakers who gift us with delicious movies like this one. SEE IT -- YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Kathy Berkeley, CA

Elena Undone is one of the best indie and also lesbian movies i've seen in a long time. the acting by both main actresses was compelling. they had a lot of chemistry even without the love scenes. the other actors did a very good job as well. i'll mention Mary Wells as one of the best and Sabrina Fuster as a newcomer was surprisingly at ease in front of the camera. as for the story it was romantic but also had moments of tension and heartbreak. Nicole Conn, the director and writer was very good at getting all there was to get out of each actor, especially Traci and Necar. i could almost feel what each was going through in the very intense moments. there was also a lot of chemistry though not romantic between Traci and Mary. they really seemed like true friends. over all i'd say this movie should attract many people, more than just the lesbian population. it is first and foremost a love story.

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.