Lovesong

I haven't seen any of So Young Kim's other movies, but I am going to make an effort. I understand the varied responses of others here, and make no excuses; it is different for me, and this love story really is a Lovesong, one played in the background over several years, which rises from piano to sforzando, and back to quietness. Remarkably acted and directed, Riley Keough and Jena Malone are just perfect in the depiction of their barely suppressed love for one another. The film both delighted and depressed me, but it has become one that I will buy to keep. I do agree with a review of Lovesong by Justin Chang in "Variety" on 25 Jan 2016: "There's a remarkable truthfulness to the film's acknowledgment that people often make enormous decisions rooted not in fear so much as uncertainty, even laziness, as well as a comfort with their lives as they've lived them until the present juncture." What is left unsaid is the consequences of those decisions, that we are left to look out the window and consider. Well done.

'LOVESONG': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A drama about two best friends that take an unplanned road trip together, along with one of the woman's toddler daughter. They then become romantically involved together, until one of them suddenly leaves. They then meet again, three years later, at the disappearing woman's wedding. It stars Jena Malone, Riley Keough, Brooklyn Decker, Amy Seimetz, and Jessie OK and Sky OK Gray. It was directed by So- yong Kim, and written by Kim and Bradley Rust Gray. The film had it's world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and it's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics. I found it to be a very beautiful, and exceptionally well made, love story.

Sarah (Keough) is an unhappily married mother of a three-year-old daughter named Jessie (Jessie OK Gray). As she feels like she's starting to have a mental breakdown, Sarah decides to call her best friend Mindy (Malone). Sarah, Mindy and Jessie then go on a road trip together. As Sarah and Mindy talk more and more, they become closer and closer (in a very intimate way). Then Sarah's husband calls. As the reality of the situation starts to set in, Mindy decides to suddenly leave. This leaves Sarah heartbroken. The two best friends meet again though, three years later at Mindy's wedding.

The movie is beautifully shot and acted. The characters definitely seem like real people, and as a viewer you feel like you can really relate to their love and pain. I think the film is an outstanding indie love story. It's pretty subtle and short, and it might leave some viewers wanting more, but I think it's a nearly perfect film. It's a great examination of relationships, and how people react to them. Malone and Keough both give great performances in it, and I think So-yong Kim makes a very good impression as a talented filmmaker to watch out for.

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Definitely didn't know to expect for this film, but what it eventually ended up being is a solidly written and very well acted tale of two friends. It's not a film driven by plot at all, and for that reason it may not engage all types of viewers, but it does tell a nice human story. More than anything, the two leads are really quite good in this. It's nice to see Riley Keough leading a film like this and I hope she continues to get offered roles, and Jena Malone can always be relied on something extra in her roles. This was no exception.

Right from the beginning of the movie I sat with a weird feeling of wanting to participate in the illusion of the film but to never be able to submerge in it. The actors all seemed strangely aware of the cameras - like they throughout the film were trying to conceil an awkward smile - even though we are talking about highly experienced actors (this fact rises a lot of questions: Was there a lot of improvising? Did the actors feel unsafe? Did the director fail? Was the cinematographer of an odd character? All of this popped into my head while watching the film which was quite distracting). The choice of telling the story through mainly closeups feels somewhat misguided since the actors didn't have very much to work with - the storytelling didn't provide them with proper background for their characters and didn't build up the proper emotions within the viewers to justify the astetic choices that have been made. The cinematography promise much more emotional rawness and intensity than the director/script/actors could provide and the movie feels like it's missing some pieces in order to make the audience feel what it so eagerly is trying to make them feel.

This movie was just kinda under everything--underwhelming, under developed, under communicated, etc. If you're going for slow naturalism you still need a heartbeat, but this script is too lethargic to hold attention. At the end of the day it felt padded when it could have made a really poignant half hour short film...

...or rather it would if the plot and characters were laid out better. The main character is as passive as other reviews say. I can sympathize with a woman winding up in a mundane, boring life where motherhood doesn't feel like her end-all-be-all and her husband has essentially abandoned her. It's a very real-world situation. But she does nothing to improve it. Maybe, MAYBE, her attempt to improve it is by going to her love interest's wedding in hopes of running away with the bride...but I have no idea as very little character motivation is ever established. We don't even know why it ends the way it ends, and instead of feeling indie and human and ambiguous it feels like we just wasted a bloated ninety minutes to watch yet another disappointing end to a LGBT story.

In that way it felt extremely dated. Essentially the same story can be found in numerous LGBT books and films that were made in the 80s, 90s, and even 00s. It's 2020, dude. Do something different.