Lovesong

Definitely didn't know to expect for this film, but what it eventually ended up being is a solidly written and very well acted tale of two friends. It's not a film driven by plot at all, and for that reason it may not engage all types of viewers, but it does tell a nice human story. More than anything, the two leads are really quite good in this. It's nice to see Riley Keough leading a film like this and I hope she continues to get offered roles, and Jena Malone can always be relied on something extra in her roles. This was no exception.

Lovesong is an intimate relationship drama, lovingly told, the kind of indie that hangs not on the script or dialogue, but on the beauty of the images and the mostly silent performances of its leads. And while the story is intriguing and the actors good, it never really rises up to become something memorable.

Lovesong is, true to its title, a bittersweet love story about two best friends, Sarah and Mindy. Sarah married young and now finds herself isolated as a single mother who only has a toddler to talk to, her husband travelling around the world. She calls her friend Mindy who immediately, like a breath of fresh air, arrives to reassure her, tell her that she's a good mom and to urge her to have fun. The two friends along with Sarah's daughter go an impromptu road trip. But while discussing their past some tension comes up and the two end up pushing their relationship into a more romantic capacity. Things go a bit awry and the movie picks up three years later just as Sarah's relationship is dissolving and Mindy is about to get married.

Writer/director So Yong Kim keeps things simple and naturalistic for her leading ladies (no makeup and a distinct lack of over the top reactions). The two main actresses Jena Malone and Riley Keough both work with her very well. But while the two have a soft chemistry that suits the style of the movie it isn't the kind of burning passion that would have made this film really stand out. And everything feels too subtle, too subdued. I liked this movie well enough while I was watching, but I also have the distinct feeling that it won't exactly stick in my mind.

Still worth watching.

It's not an exciting movie. It moves very slowly but it's only about an hour and 20 minutes long. There's no big payoff. But the writing, directing and acting are superb. It feels like you're watching a documentary. I wonder if most of the dialogue was ad libbed because it feels so natural. Riley Keough (as she did in "The Girlfriend Experience") has an incredible ability to convey all of her character's feelings without saying a word. There are many scenes when the camera focuses on her eyes, body language, wrinkle of her mouth, tone of her voice, body movements and expressions which move the scene along better than any dialogue could ever do.

Jena Malone is also very good but despite her top billing, this is clearly Keough's movie. The movie will disappoint those who want action or suspense or a tidy ending. But for people who appreciate superb acting, writing and directing, the film is rewarding and Riley Keough is amazing.

Lovesong (2016) was co-written and directed by the Korean-American filmmaker So Yong Kim. It stars Riley Keough as Sarah, a young married woman who might as well be a single mom. (Her husband is away for months on business.) Sarah lives in a beautiful home, in a beautiful setting. She has a great daughter, Jessie, played at age three by Jessie OK Gray, and at age six by Sky OK Gray. (I assume they are the director's two daughters.)

Enter Sarah's old friend Mindy (Jena Malone) who lives in New York City. They haven't seen each other for years, but they're still good friends. We get a sense that they're more than good friends, but director Kim is discrete about these things. After spending the night together, Mindy leaves for NYC. The women don't meet up again until three years later.

There was a good movie in here somewhere, but it never made its way out. Both women are moody, taciturn, and passive. As an example, it apparently never occurs to Sarah that she could do more with her life than be a mother to Jessie, and wait for her husband to return home. How about leaving Jessie with a sitter and volunteering for a political cause or for a library? Nope. She just sits home, takes walks, and sulks.

Mindy doesn't appear to have any thoughts at all. She makes an offhand comment about work, but she never says what she does and how she does it. She certainly has a gamine-like charm, but we don't see anything else to recommend her as a friend or as a person.

This is the movie to see if you want a story about two attractive women who don't really connect with each other or with the world. Otherwise, find a better movie and watch that one.

We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre, as part of the wonderful ImageOut Rochester LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen.

Lovesong is one of 22 films that had their New York State premiere, or their East Coast premiere, at ImageOut. My compliments to the ImageOut Programming Committee for their great success in bringing these films to Rochester.

This movie was just kinda under everything--underwhelming, under developed, under communicated, etc. If you're going for slow naturalism you still need a heartbeat, but this script is too lethargic to hold attention. At the end of the day it felt padded when it could have made a really poignant half hour short film...

...or rather it would if the plot and characters were laid out better. The main character is as passive as other reviews say. I can sympathize with a woman winding up in a mundane, boring life where motherhood doesn't feel like her end-all-be-all and her husband has essentially abandoned her. It's a very real-world situation. But she does nothing to improve it. Maybe, MAYBE, her attempt to improve it is by going to her love interest's wedding in hopes of running away with the bride...but I have no idea as very little character motivation is ever established. We don't even know why it ends the way it ends, and instead of feeling indie and human and ambiguous it feels like we just wasted a bloated ninety minutes to watch yet another disappointing end to a LGBT story.

In that way it felt extremely dated. Essentially the same story can be found in numerous LGBT books and films that were made in the 80s, 90s, and even 00s. It's 2020, dude. Do something different.