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Wander Darkly

Country: united_states

Year: 2020

Running time: 97

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8902978/reference

Diane says: “I think I must be the target audience for WANDER DARKLY. I was completely sucked into every emotion in this chameleonic romance/psychological thriller that has touches of horror and dry humor. The two attractive leads don’t hurt.

“LA couple Adrienne (Siena Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna) love their infant Ellie, but it’s clear that the baby decision—not to mention marriage—is a source of contention, just under the surface of every conversation.

“The film quickly enters into high stress territory. Adrienne and Matteo are having a post-party argument when their car crashes. What follows is their attempt to engage in narrative therapy to overcome the trauma caused by the accident. But it’s much more bizarre than that: a delightful brainteaser, reminding me of MEMENTO. Be prepared to pay close attention as the scenes shift seamlessly through time and place. The film keeps you off balance for at least 70 of its 97 minutes—my only complaint is the overlong coda.

“Chlotrudis favorite Beth Grant plays Adrienne’s overbearing mother, who tries to take charge but readily acknowledges that she is out of her depth in this tragedy. 4 cats“

 

Michael says: “I’ve come to learn that WANDER DARKLY is a deeply personal story, written and directed by Tara Miele. Fortunately, some of the particulars were changed to make a more dramatic story, but knowing the personal nature of the story makes me a little more forgiving. A young, unmarried couple with an infant suffer a severe trauma that forces them to reflect back over their relationship history to better understand and reconcile with a difficult turn of events. Adrienne and Matteo’s story unfolds slowly, through flashbacks and conversations, and is often the case, it takes time to piece together everything. There’s Adrienne’s mother, who disapproves of Matteo from the get go. There’s Shea, who is an old friend of Matteo’s and maintains a flirtatious vibe with him much to Adrienne’s concern. Due to the dark and eerie premise of the story structure, the couple’s story unfolds through time jumps, and intermingling of actual past occurrences and memories.

“There’s a lot to like about WANDER DARKLY, both from a production viewpoint to a powerful screenplay, but for some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on, I was left slightly dissatisfied. I want to point to the two leads, Sienna Miller as Adrienne, and Diego Luna as Matteo. Miller brings it emotionally as Adrienne, struggling through the major emotional arc required, and she is effective… maybe a little too effective for me? There were times where I felt she was ‘acting,’ which took me out of the emotional impact. Then there’s Luna, who I’m managed to miss is most of his film appearances since he broke big on the scene with Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN. He didn’t really impress me in that film, nor does he here. He seems slightly checked out, and not as emotionally invested as his partner. Perhaps that’s intentional, given the story that unfolds? Regardless, it made for a less involving viewing. In all honesty, the most effective performance for me came from Beth Grant, who with subtlety and skill portrayed an emotionally distant mother who disapproves of her daughter’s choice of partner, but never comes across as uncaring, or without love (except where the story calls for it). It’s a great supporting role for Beth, and one she brings to life beautifully.
“In the end, while i enjoyed the film, it felt a little bit too much like a ‘film with a twist,’ which it is… but i wish they had spent just a little more time shaping the story and bringing more compelling performances. 3 cats“
Bob says: “Good performances and interesting editing, but even with that b-i-g t-w-i-s-t, this felt kind of tired to me.”
Chris says: “Ambitious and rarely boring, as a film about trauma, it’s far superior to dreck like PIECES OF A WOMAN; however, apart from the reveal near the end, there’s not much else there except for some decent performances. 3 cats“
Wander Darkly

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