By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.125 cats
Director: Natalie Morales
Starring: Desean Terry | Mark Duplass | Natalie Morales
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 91
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14031338/reference
Michael says: “A clever premise and a surprising twist turned LANGUAGE LESSONS, shot during the pandemic through videochat, an incredibly affecting and effective story. As a gift, Adam’s husband gives him weekly Spanish lessons online, taught immersively by Cariño, a native Spanish-speaker living in Costa Rica. Adam is uncertain how he’s going to fit these lessons into his daily routine, but when an event occurs that totally disrupts his life he finds something in Cariño he never would have expected. It really helps that Mark Duplass ad Natalie Morales are such engaging and charismatic performer, even through the rectangular box of a web chat. If the story takes a swerve or two toward the melodramatic, it is after all a depiction of life over a period of time, and we all have our ups and downs. On the hands of these two fine actors, there is never a moment where things feel false, or over-amplified. In fact, one of the most interesting facets of their story is the class difference between the two characters, and the place of privilege one has over the other, which is acknowledge hand made real by the characters’ behavior. In the end, I’m not sure there’s a lot to say about the film, other than I enjoyed it and hope you do to. 4 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Julie says: “I liked LANGUAGE LESSONS as well. Great review Michael! Two fantastic performances by Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales carry this one. It was a brilliant idea to do a film like this (where all takes place on video chat) during the pandemic. Very strong, believable performances. The film was also directed and co-written by Natalie Morales in her feature directorial review. As many have mentioned the ending was a bit heavy handed and could have been done a bit differently to get the same effect, but other than that it was really well done. Best actor, best actress nominations for this one. 4 cats here as well.”
Bob says: “Adam’s husband Will surprises him with a set of 100 weekly online Spanish lessons. Will runs a dance company, and apparently the big fancy house in Oakland is all his doing. Adam isn’t used to this entitled life yet, and the lessons he’s to receive from Cariño, a woman living in Costa Rica, seem to be meant to fight boredom and make him feel like he’s accomplishing something. He was pretty fluent in Spanish in his youth, so while the lessons will help him improve his language skills, it kind of feels like Will spent the money to give Adam some companionship.
“Written by the stars, Mark Duplass as Adam and Natalie Morales (who also directed – her first such effort) as Cariño, LANGUAGE LESSONS keeps everything visible on about as small a scale as you can get: apart from one very quick shot and a couple of off-screen voices, Adam and Cariño are the whole film, with every shot presented as part of a series of online chats and messages. The locations are naturally limited, for the most part, to the two characters’ homes.
“The screenplay makes use of the particulars of online communication: at one point, a bad connection is used as an excuse for hiding information, and of course, cutting off a conversation is a lot easier online than it is in person, since clicking a button is quicker than walking out of a room. It’s also easier to cross a line, making assumptions about the person you’re communicating with and your relationship with them before they’re ready to meet you there.
“There are moments of melodrama (one or two really big ones) that are necessary to move the story forward, but for the most part, this is a sweet, intimate look at two people haltingly finding ways to connect with each other. Cuatro Gatos”
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Chris says: “A deceptively simple low-fi, shot-in-quarantine (the entire thing takes place on Zoom!) indie with just two onscreen actors: Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales. Both co-wrote it and Morales directed it (her feature debut.) The premise (Duplass’ spouse gifts him online Spanish lessons with Morales) takes an unexpected turn about 15 minutes in; from there, it turns into an intimate story about sudden loss, the danger of making assumptions, what one is willing to reveal to another through a video screen and the figuring out how to make a sincere, true connection. Both actors are very good and I look forward to what kind of films Morales will make under less unusual circumstances–this is surely the best COVID-era one I’ve seen to date. 4 cats”
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Cheryl says: “I loved the opening sequence. The Zoom world is so real here – and at 24 minutes in, I found myself totally ‘immersed’ in the story, as a teacher with several students who had experienced the loss of loved ones over the past year. Trying to connect with them and comfort them in the virtual world was a task that seemed at once impossible and imperative. In a meta way, this film showcases what a difference great dialogue makes. Instead of melodrama, this film achieves the real thing – the emotions are bare and powerful. It’s a beautiful film about the power of connection between two people. My favorite so far. Cinco gatos!
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Toni says: “This one was already heavily reviewed by the group and it was viewed right before the deadline.
“Initially, I was thinking with what could be seen as a limited premise that I would not last beyond the length of a short film. It was helpful initially for the audience to learn Spanish in the initial conversations, but the seriousness is revealed over time between the two characters. It was a clever way to develop a feature with limited contact and showcase the close-ups between the two leads. It was well acted, but I feel the ending would be more effective without the final ‘spoon feed’ shot. 3.5 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival“
Delightful. Mark Duplass, one of my favorite actors, does not disappoint, LANGUAGE LESSONS is pandemic filmmaking at its best—necessarily contrived, but fresh and clever and heartbreaking. Possible noms for screenplay and acting. 4 cats.