Friends and Strangers

Kinda good, kinda bad.

I enjoyed 'Friends and Strangers' a bit at the beginning and a lot near the end, though the middle is lame - in my opinion, of course. The start holds intrigue and the whole chilled vibe is cool, though come the midway point it loses all steam. Thankfully, the concluding parts are its best.

It's the scenes at the villa(s) for the wedding that are the best, I genuinely enjoyed those moments. The rest is either forgettable or straight up uninteresting. It might've worked out better if they stuck with Emma Diaz's Alice, who seemed better in the acting department, rather than Fergus Wilson's Ray.

The film is going to derange regular spectators since it seems to be linking unlikely situations, but it moves forward... not in the best way since it is the director's first feature film. Obviously, more experience is needed to make his contribution more attractive and well-finished.

A sudden decision in Sydney of a young woman and man both trying to overcome a breakup, a tenure in the wild, a romance in the brink of being consolidated, a girl afflicted with curiousity, a meddling elder asking for the time, true and unwanted advice from a friend, small everyday catastrophes, random encounters, criticism of pretentiousness, cultured people dwelling in the abstraction to avoid reality... DEEP VOIDS IN LIFE.

The attitude of the female main character is quite similar to her homologous one in Eric Rohmer's LE RAYON VERT and the film shares the basis of such a narrative basis as the one of 4 AVENTURES DE REINETTE ET MIRABELLE. Burgoeisie chasing happiness but without a definite plan about that.

Static camera images are the main visual component of the film as well as dramatic ones such as grim, joy, doubt, humour, a bit of boredom, enigmsatic mystery, and existencial tragedy.

The director has shown his most important points and interests here. May he offer us a next film with a more dynamic content.

There's a lot to like in this offbeat, deadpan comedy that's part Rohmer and part Wes Anderson. Beautifully shot, and wonderful, notable performances by many of the actors, especially Emma Diaz. The character of Ray is at the center of the film, though, and the portrayal is too thin to carry it along. Clearly he's meant to be something of a cypher. But there's too little going on with the portrayal to merit the attention.

In Australia, heartbroken Alice starts dating Ray and they go on a camping trip. She's not enthused and rejects him. One month later, he continues to be snake bitten. He has a job with a wealthy home owner which meanders into a Kafkaesque journey.

It's an Australian indie. Some say it's a satire. I don't know if it is. It's punching down. Ray is a sad sack wet blanket. He's more frustrating than funny. I actually like the camping section. There seems to be real tension being built and then the movie just moves on. I really wanted to stay there and work out some drama. The movie starts following Ray and it's boring. Once he gets to the house, it starts becoming surreal and that's a little interesting. In the end, Ray is aimless and rather pathetic. The movie is not as funny as it wants to be.

Long still shots of a scene waiting for the characters to enter it or exit it. Drivel conversations. Why do these producers make such crap? Don't waste your time with this gong show.