Lovers of Hate

Lovers of Hate tells the story of a social outcast who's entire life has been outshadowed by his kid brother Paul. Rudy, the "failure" so to speak, can't hold a job and is living out of his vehicle. He tries desperately to hide the fact that his relationship with Diana has eroded knowing it would give his brother the one up. The conflict between brothers becomes more complicated when Paul and Diana end up together. Although Sundance knocks the character study for making Rudy off to be too childish in dialogue, I found the ending lines poignant, and allows forgiveness of Rudy's behavior earlier in the film by shadowing what has led up to this point. It was a remarkably touching film that did what it set out to do. My only real complaint within the movie is its length. The film wasn't remarkably long, but at times scenes did drag on. Overall, I feel the film was an accomplishment. 9/10

Rudy's relentless negativity has caused his life to unravel. He's lost his dead-end job, his marriage has disintegrated and he's living in his car after his wife Diana has thrown him out of their home. To make matters worse, his brother Paul is a successful writer of fantasy fiction, visiting town on a promotional tour for his new book. Sibling rivalry prompts Rudy to persuade Diana to conceal their break-up and pretend they're still living together. When this pathetic deception comes apart at the seams, the fallout pushes Diana into the arms of Paul, who has always been attracted to his sister-in-law.

'Lovers of Hate' sets off as if it intends to be a quirky offbeat comedy, but soon ventures into darker territory. The three actors turn in fine performances as Rudy, Paul and Diana fall deeper into a claustrophobic labyrinth of deceit. The film soon turns into an entirely original entity, combining elements of suspense, romance and black comedy. As the story unfolds, the three characters struggle to extricate themselves from their increasingly dangerous and volatile predicament.