directed by:
Sarah Jayne Portelli, Ivan Malekin written by: Ivan Malekin genre: Drama |
You’ll see a pretty strange dynamic between Sam and Mia as “After The Act” gets underway. As a couple, they strike me as still fairly new, so take that opening comment with a grain of salt; I’ve been with my wife for more than twenty years now, and there really aren’t any relationships that don’t seem downright weird to me. Really natural dialogue, though, and I appreciate that. It seems like these two people are doing that balancing act we all fall into during the course of a relationship at some point – that relentlessly awkward space where the air is filled with tension as you’re getting to know someone, asking questions, and trying not to offend anyone in the process. Nervous energy reigns supreme as this movie begins, but both of the main characters we’re introduced to at the start seem like people we all know, have met, or have been at some point in time ourselves. It’s a slice of life over breakfast, with real conversation and depth in their emotions. Sam and Mia have clearly been together for a while, but it still seems like they’ve got so much more to learn about each other, and I think we’re here for the ride.
Mia (Laura Petracco) appears gorgeous, glowing, and full of life. Sam (Jacob Lefton) seems…well…like the typical definition of vegan we all read about in magazines. Pale, stressed, enlightened/self-involved - he has the man-bun you pictured in your head already – and you get the sense that Mia is the much-needed yin to his yang. For a brief moment or two, there (okay, more like a fifth of the movie), I was convinced that we’d remain in the same kitchen for the entire duration of “After The Act” just listening to them talk. I would have been cool with that if that was the case. I know not everyone is always in the mood for a heavy Drama or a show that moves at such a noticeably unhurried pace, but I’m usually into it. In any event, we’re eventually whisked away from that kitchen to another kitchen, where we meet Becca (Jessica Sy) briefly before we’re tagging along as she does her stretches and new-age spiritual exercises. I dig it – it’s heckin’ slow as slow can be, but I’m here for it so far. Even though I usually need a character I can personally identify with in order to really find my way into a story or movie, I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, where every second person seems like they’d be into hanging out with the people in this film; they’re all so very different from me, but it still feels like I’ve genuinely met them all. Then comes the slap that seems to change everything & starts to propel this film in a different direction. While Mia prepares to go out for a night with friends, Sam asks her to say hi to Becca for him, and her spidey-sense goes OFF. The tensions we’ve been seeing at the start now begin to totally make sense – it’s not that they’re new – they’re trying to salvage a relationship that’s in serious trouble. Sam quickly confesses to having sex with Mia’s friend Becca, and he does it pretty much as terribly as anyone could. From the ignorant claims of how ‘it didn’t mean anything’ to using drugs and drinking as an excuse for his actions, Sam gets exposed as pretty damn lame at the game of love, and he genuinely hurts Mia. We don’t know how they got to this point in their relationship, of course, but if we’re judging solely on what we’re seeing in this film, I’m team Mia all the way. I felt like Petracco did an extraordinary job in portraying her emotions as she walks the city streets alone to clear her head, and I felt like it was a pure stroke of genius to have those scenes split in between watching Becca move through the city to meet her, clearly considering the weight and impact of what she’s done to her friend at the very same time. We know that confrontation is coming right around the corner at some point, and credit to Writer Ivan Malekin, who co-directed “After The Act” with Sarah Jayne Portelli, for allowing the tension to build so brilliantly. We know that Becca and Mia are about to experience the unpleasant part of being adults, but Portelli and Malekin keep their cards close to their chests and let us wonder when it’s going to really blow up. Sy does a remarkable job as Becca. Obviously, her character is far from innocent & has a hand in the breakdown between Sam and Mia, but if you’ve ever been there yourself, you know that it’s truly a painful experience on all sides of the fence. Which sucks, because that usually occurs at the same time as a whole bunch of excitement & joy…and deep down, one half will eventually consume the other. Will it be the joyful part, or the painful part? That’s the question we’re all left asking as we try to navigate out of a relationship into whatever the next chapter to follow might be. If Sam’s lucky – really lucky – he ends up with someone. If Mia’s lucky, she probably ditches Sam and finds a way to remain friends with Becca. No amount of attempting to steer this situation will have everyone leaving it feeling happy - after it’s all said & done…everyone loses a bit of themselves in a scenario like this, and it’s never easy to pick up the pieces. I do agree with Sam when he says everyone makes mistakes, because I think we all have seen more than enough examples to know that’s basically true – but it’s how we make up for them that matters. Sam makes a list to make his case clearly to Mia, and apologizes for his actions, but we’re still left to wonder if redemption is going to be in the cards for this young man, or if he really even deserves it.
If you’re lookin’ for that feel-good movie of the year, it ain’t gonna be this one. This is sad, sad, sad…and probably a whole lot more realistic & close to home than you’ll even realize at first. “After The Act” is all about the irreparable loss of love and the harmful emotional damage we can inflict on each other. Is Mia “blowing things out of proportion” like Sam suggests? Is there a level of maturity that we need to adopt when we’ve been betrayed by those we love most – or do they deserve a full dose of our wrath? The reality is that there will be things that come up that eventually require communication…the signing of papers or splitting up your shared belongings…but that’s a fair ways down the road. In the moment, I think there are no rules or restrictions that can be placed on how you feel as a relationship breaks down. Sometimes there’s no going back from the turmoil we create, and we don’t exactly get a choice on how someone else will deal with our actions. As you watch Becca do her best to apologize to Mia, and Mia ain’t havin’ it, we have to ask ourselves why she should have to be the bigger person in this situation. I think from the outside looking in, we’re all watching this expecting that she should have to come around & forgive Sam & Becca for what they did – but WHY? She’s genuinely the victim in this tale of love gone wrong…and watching her reclaim her confidence & identity is what we should all be really rooting for. No lie, watching “After The Act” is a savage emotional rollercoaster that is bound to be triggering for many watchers. It’s moments of pure heartbreak continually coming at you through a highly realistic perspective & storyline that genuinely mirrors life itself. I don’t think there are really too many humans who want to hurt other humans on purpose when it comes right down to it, but I think getting caught up in the moment and being absent-minded gets us all in trouble and can take our entire lives over if we’re not careful. You feel for Mia, you feel for Becca, and you even feel for Sam…because what they’re going through could legitimately happen to almost any of us if we’re not valuing the feelings of other people as much as we value our own. The acting is perfection, the direction is stellar, and the writing is also quite impressive. ”After The Act” is powerfully memorable & more relatable than you’ll want to admit. I’ve got nothing but praise for this film – WATCH THIS MOVIE – it’s truly as great a Drama could be. I’m going with four and a half stars outta five here. “After The Act” may start a little slow, but it will break your heart as you watch, and challenge you to pick up the pieces. |
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