Elena Undone

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.

I did not like the presentation of the husband. He just didn't work as a conservative pastor or as a man. That said I thought that every other thing resonated with truth.

One aspect of love and affairs that rarely gets attention is the feelings of the third party. Peyton in this film gets to have the range of emotion, loving the individual , not knowing where exactly they fit in, not knowing when or if they will get to share their love in the open. It tears at the soul, it sows doubt and Nicole Conn gives us an inspection of that part of love, that pain. We also get the pain and doubt and confusion of the person who wasn't looking for love, but found it none the less.

It is a thoughtful film, it is a romantic film. It has some of the most sensuous love scenes that I can recall and yet nothing explicit enough to actually offend any but those who are predisposed to offence. You could watch this with your adult children and not be embarrassed.

I cannot express enough how much I absolutely LOVED this movie. I originally found it when i was streaming for LGBT movies on Netflix which i like to watch when i have some downtime. I've seen plenty of movies so far,most are boring before they get interesting, but 'Elena Undone' captured my attention after watching up to 15 minutes of the movie.At first i thought it was some type of documented movie which i cannot stand. But I gave it chance and was blown away. I've seen the movie at least 9 times in the last 4 days and thats due to watching the movie twice one after another. The whole story line just makes you want to fall in love, and feel the love that that actresses felt in the movie. The passion and emotions that are portrayed just make you smile and feel so wrapped up in love. If you're someone who has been in love, or knows what it feels like to have someone who you cannot stop thinking about constantly should be able to relate to this movie. I really wish this movie was a lot more popular than it is because this movie DESERVES the attention. Necar Zadegan and Traci Dinwiddie are amazing actresses and each played their characters to the max. I couldn't ask for more. Nicole Conn is an amazing Writer/Director and i praise her work. It is phenomenal. This is a MUST-SEE Movie!

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

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.