Celebrating the mysterious, beautiful, powerful thing we call friendship, Tracie Laymon’s feature-directorial debut is a marvel of a movie. Based on events from the director’s life, it follows lonely 20-something, Lily, after she’s sent on a journey of self-discovery when chance leads her to befriend a stranger online. What follows is a beautifully raw story of broken people coming together, each recognizing the life-changing potential of everyday kindness.
The connection we form with these characters heightens the emotional stakes, and a big part of how that connection is formed can be attributed to the visuals. Cinematographer John Rosario is constantly moving the mostly-handheld camera, just slightly, sometimes giving us the sense that it’s floating. There are even moments where this movement affected the quality of the image onscreen. I really appreciated how this artistic choice not only brings a ton of energy into the frame, but also creates a kind of subjectivity. We feel for these characters because the camera is doing everything it can to place us right beside them. So much movement also makes it very apparent when the camera finally goes still, like in a particularly shattering hospital scene, adding even more gravity to an already heavy moment. That being said, I do think there was a heavy emphasis placed on keeping everything center-frame. This worked in some areas, but I do wonder how using more negative space would have added to the feelings of loneliness and alienation the script was trying to explore.
I also think Anisha Acharya’s editing relies a bit too much on the shot/reverse-shot approach. Alongside the preponderance of close-ups, this attempt to lock us into these characters’ interiority sometimes makes the film seem very sealed-off. Since there are so many dialogue scenes in a relatively short runtime, it’d have been interesting to explore the possibilities of a wide shot so we can see the actors playing off one another in these moments. The score is also hit-or-miss, but when it succeeds it does so in a big way. There’s a simplicity to the music that adds a deep sincerity to some already very effective moments. At its worse, though, the score can make some moments feel twee—but a lot of that can be blamed on the writing.
There are some dialogue scenes here that are very heavy handed. It sometimes works, since these characters are discovering their voice and finally advocating for themselves, but mostly just takes the viewer out of the moment. This might also have something to do with how Laymon builds these characters into almost saintly figures. We never see them do anything remotely worth critique, and it seems as if the world is out to get them. While many would demand more well-rounded characters (and would, in some ways, be right to do so), I actually think this works and doesn’t damage the film’s credibility at all. This is a movie that dares to believe that nice people can exist in a world that, at times, is not-so-nice. One moment in a dog shelter was more than a bit saccharine, basically telling viewers how to feel, but I think the powerhouse acting in the film ultimately saves the writing from ever detracting from the effectiveness of these scenes.
Barbie Ferreira has had big roles before, but I don’t think any of those fully allowed her to deeply explore a character the way she does with Lily. Along with a phenomenal range, there’s a naturalness to her line deliveries that gives the character such a lived-in feel. It’d be easy for Lily to seem like a character we can’t connect with since she’s so sweet, but Ferreira somehow manages to make her an underdog we love rooting for. It’s also impressive how John Leguizamo delivers perhaps one of his best performances on film without ever managing to overwhelm the scene. These co-stars elevate one another each time they share the screen, making us believe the power of kindness and friendship in real time.
This is a beautiful movie. I don’t think it’s perfect (what movie is?) but I do think its flaws are lost in all the amazing things it does right. There’s a lot of care put in front and behind the camera, creating a viewing experience that’s as healing as it is inspiring. In times like these, this film is a balm for the soul. Bob Trevino Likes It is in select theaters this weekend, and I hope you make time to watch it while it’s on the big screen. Indie gems like this deserve to be seen in theaters!
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