She Is Love, 2022.
Written and directed by Jamie Adams.
Starring Haley Bennett, Sam Riley, Marisa Abela, Michael Smiley, Craig Russell, and Rosa Robson.
SYNOPSIS:
Coming face-to-face after being estranged for over a decade, divorced couple, Idris and Patricia, opt to revisit the past and traverse that treacherous path together, emerging open to new beginnings.
Sam Riley’s star took off when he played Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in 2007’s acclaimed Control, enjoying steady success in the years since. Riley is the co-lead with Swallow’s Haley Bennett in She Is Love from director Jamie Adams. Set at a hotel in Cornwall, the film depicts a long divorced pair thrust back together when Bennett’s Patricia stays at the hotel, co-run by Idris her ex-husband.
This is an immediately interesting premise and one that could play out in a number of ways, of course lending itself comedic value, especially when you throw Idris’s new partner, aspiring actress Louise (Marisa Abela) into the mix.
Bennett and Riley sell the awkwardness the pair feel after seeing each other for such a long time. The shift from avoidance to drinking together and discussing their shared history is well handled and it is fully believable that this is a couple who still feel deeply for each other in spite of what may have occurred. Sequences of the pair drunkenly writing songs and playing pranks are great fun, mixed with moments of sadness and a sense of loss.
The film excels early on at capturing the cringe inducing awkwardness of the interactions and how Patricia’s arrival affects Idris and Louise’s relationship especially; a film these sequences could perhaps be compared to is Shiva Baby although it is not as effective as that film and doesn’t keep this tone for its full length.
Idris is a wannabe songwriter, stuck in a loop seemingly and more inspired when he was with Patricia than with Louise. Patricia meanwhile works as a talent scout in the US and has re-located to New York. Louise’s anxiety driven, over excited mannerisms draw some laughs especially during a rehearsal scene with one of the houses’ staff, although ultimately this sequence feels drawn out too long.
While the performances do keep the film afloat, the semi improvised nature of the script is telling, affecting what could have been a more earnest and heartfelt depiction of the relationship and its issues. The semi improvisational style was also employed on Adams’ films Black Mountain Poets and Love Spreads. Shying away from flashbacks, we are left to piece together some of what happened and it may have been more effective to clearly see why the relationship didn’t work.
The film is almost entirely set in the hotel which was shot on location at Tresillian House, making the most of the isolating setting and a large space only occupied for the most part by four people. The house itself is an impressive location, feeling claustrophobic and all imposing, contrasting with the climatic sequences on the beach.
She Is Love is an experimental film that takes its share of risks which pay off more in its kinetic first half, building a sense of anxiety the rest of the movie fails to fully capitalise on. Riley and Bennett share fine chemistry and give us a sense that the relationship and its end caused pain for both sides but perhaps due to its short run time, the film doesn’t properly dive into why it didn’t work and ultimately peters out in its final act after its promising start.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
