Em

I LOVED Em! And that is an understatement. I thought the writing was phenomenal, the acting, the story were so raw and real. When the film came to a close, I didn't want to leave my seat. I just wanted to know more about Josh and Em. I felt attached to them, like a mother watching her child leave for college, I wanted to hold onto them. Maybe I'm sounding a bit overboard, but rarely do I rave about films like this. The story took an original look at a dysfunctional, yet so "normal," relationship between ordinary people. And then there's the cinematography- loved it, too. There were scenes told almost wholly in close ups, the rack focuses between two characters in a conversation, the natural shots of the setting... I could go on but you should see it yourself.

This low budget indie tells the story of a young man's love for a woman stricken with bi-polar disorder.

In a small, quiet, character based film like this performances are everything, and director Barbieri gets two very strong ones from Nathan Wetherington and Stef Willen.

There is something very personal about the way the story is told, and it manages to avoid the two obvious traps – becoming soapy or becoming clinical. Armed with a penetrating eye for framing, and a willingness to really watch what's happening on the actors'faces between the lines in almost a Bergmanesque way, there is a real intimacy in the film, as well as a haunting sense of loss. One of the better, more honest and more effecting films about mental illness and its effects I've seen.

..it gives some idea of the film, that there are only ten IMDb written user reviews in total, and the last one is four years old.. hardly anyone's heard of Em, and assuredly less have actually seen it... but it had won accolades and awards at several film festivals.. and yet this is one of the best little films dealing with romance, heartbreak, and mental illness that you will be fortunate to come across.. and she is one of the best young actors that you will discover.. and yet according to IMDb she has only four productions to her credit.. {and with eight years on twitter only 169 followers).. it is unfathomable that it is only this one film production of hers having merit, and it's been her last major work since.. what happened to her.. that could be a story-line for a screenplay in itself..

The two characters in the film have a strong love for each other but they struggle with the shadow of mental illness. This film is very well written, usually it's hard to watch such a drama but it's balanced out with the good things in the couple's relationship and why they try so hard to make it work. This should be something everyone should see especially since most of us know someone living under these conditions. It's an honest shot of what that person encounters from day to day.

The actors are also absolutely amazing - relatively unknown, though they have more talent than any I've ever watched.

Must see.

This movie failed on many levels. Mostly, it was utterly humorless and it lacked any intelligence. The actress, Stef Willen, was strangely masculine and seemed more creepy than mentally ill. She was unlovable with her wacky hats and phony expressions,and it made no sense that he male lead would tolerate her. There was no exploration of mania other than she likes to sky dive or buy one way tickets. Absurd. The sex scenes were gratuitous and yucky. Why an aspiring actress would so degrade herself for this lousy film is sad. I hope never to see Stef Willen's bad acting and annoying face in any other film. This was a missed opportunity. A waste of time.