directed by:
Anmol Mishra written by: Anmol Mishra genre: Romance, Dance |
Ohhhhh boy. The cartoonish way the sound effects were used to immediately pronounce and punctuate the dialogue in “Romancing Sydney” is one of those immediate cues that we might be in for a long 120 minutes. You might expect to find that kinda stuff in a mid-80s sitcom, perhaps, or used appropriately sparingly in something like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” but outside of those few things, it’s tough to get behind the constant use of random sounds to enhance dialogue from my perspective. You know what REALLY enhances dialog? Great dialog - simple as that. When your words are strong, they’ll speak for themselves. In my opinion, when you’re employing this approach with sound effects & dialog, it shows a little bit of a lack of trust in your viewership in the same way that a laugh track does. As viewers, we don’t need to be told when to laugh, or in instances like the case of “Romancing Sydney,” we don’t need to be told which parts of the dialogue we need to be paying attention to, either. Plus, if you’ve got those sounds too high up in the mix, they actually become a vicious distraction and obstruct our ability to really connect with the characters and dialogue. So…yeah…I felt like “Romancing Sydney” highlighted some immediate issues that put the balance off-kilter.
It’s a tougher one to examine this time around, critically speaking. We’re not quite talking about a film that’s in the realm of Tommy Wiseau’s creations, but it does feel like Anmol Mishra needs to make a stronger connection between what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. Whether it’s the awkward flow of the script, the strange choices in how to shoot the scenes, or the stilted dialogue stitched together with a bizarre choice of audio effects, I think there are legitimate reasons to be concerned early on in watching this movie. It’s fair to point out that “Romancing Sydney” is one of Mishra’s first two films, so don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty he can build around in the long run of a career, but there’s no doubt that this particular film is revealing what will go on to be the early side of his work. Some of the easiest stuff to enjoy in “Romancing Sydney” is the dance sequences that take place inside the movie - I thought those were more often great, but I’ll readily admit that they also seemed to kinda come outta nowhere when they popped up along the way. When you’re seeing things like that, that are essentially unexplainable to a degree, you have to circle back around to why they’d be included, which would have to basically trace back to a devoted love of dance on the part of director Mishra. Clearly, he loves the art of dance, and while I’d never begrudge him for that, it’d still be nice if it seemed to fit into the story he’s trying to tell a bit more snugly than it seems to…at least at first. Take that initial introduction to the dance aspect of “Romancing Sydney” for example - it is LENGTHY. Entertaining, sure, for those that enjoy dance, I have no doubt they’ll like what they see - but for the rest of the potential viewers watching, it’s such a long sequence that you might even start to wonder if you’re coming back to the main plot. Again, you can see the issues in trying to do too much with too little substance. Take the scene with Sachin and Elisa on the bench outside, for example…we probably spend a bit too long in the awkward silence for it to generate the laughs it’s intending to. I actually didn’t mind Anmol as an actor playing Sachin - quite often he’s legitimately charming, humble, and sweet - but as a director & writer, it almost feels like he’s getting in his own way at times, forcing the material instead of finding a more organic flow to it. Considering his love for dance and how smooth it is when he does it, you’d think he’d be able to tap into a parallel approach that would allow his film to find the fluidity it needs to succeed. There are some things that could probably work within different contexts, I think - like, the second dance sequence, for example – it uses effects brilliantly; it’s artistic, it’s beautiful, it’s well performed. Does it fit within this particular film, with its other scenes being filmed in such an ordinary way? Not really, not at all if I’m being honest with you - but if Anmol wanted to make music videos, he’d be a stellar choice. The music he’s chosen for the second sequence was a perfect pairing, too. As soon as that wraps up, though, we’re right back into life with Lilli (Gabrielle Chan) and George (Peter Hayes) in the strangely arranged antique store where Sachin works, attempting comedy again with all the sound effects & such. You can’t tell me that someone like Mishra with his obvious appreciation for dance wouldn’t understand rhythm, timing, transitions, fluidity, and flow - of course he would! As to why these are the main ingredients that seem to be missing from “Romancing Sydney,” I’m genuinely perplexed. It seems like substantial oversight in the main area that you’d think would come completely naturally to him in the balance displayed along the way. Any dance would need balance, and the same is equally true of films.
By the end, I felt like there was no mistaking what the core strengths of “Romancing Sydney” were. The most successful scenes were always rooted in dance, and that’s a great place for Mishra to build from. I don’t know how many folks out there want to watch something that pretty much exclusively deals with dance, but I have the feeling there are a lot more of those out there - than folks who would want to watch an uneven film that never seems to find solid ground. As in, if dance is where you excel in life, then do that! The long, extended silent sequences…the panning back and forth between characters as they speak to each other…the relentless sound effects…none of this is working or landing as it’s intended to, from my perspective. Every time I push play, I’m hoping to get onboard with what I’m watching & rooting for everyone that’s involved to succeed. It wouldn’t be right to tell Mishra that things went great here when that’s not the case - the best thing I can do for the guy is to be as honest as I can and tell him the truth where others would not. I’ll always be the first to tell you I’m just a regular guy with one opinion, so feel free to take anything I say with the proverbial grain of salt. But I view my responsibility in writing reviews as providing real feedback that could help someone like Mishra grow in the future. That means I gotta call things as I see’em, for better or worse. I can push past overused stereotypes. I can deal with forced dialogue or subpar acting. I can even deal with relentlessly odd sound effects showing up in strange places if I have to. What I personally struggle with is watching something that feels devoid of purpose, or that feels like it wasn’t made with confidence in the material - and that’s what it’s like to watch “Romancing Sydney.” It all feels drastically unsure of itself at all times. I wanted more out of “Romancing Sydney” from its first ten seconds straight through to its very last scenes. It fell flat with me; it’s a one-and-a-half-star film outta five that tried to do too much with not enough experience, in my opinion. |
|
|
More To Check Out.
|
