User Reviews

Saw this at TIFF. The actors were so natural in their ability to play off one another. I don't want to compare all Quebecois characters to Dolan's films but I truly felt like both of these characters could exist in his films. Such strong instincts and nice, neat cinematography, punctuated by coloured lights and visually rich production design.

There is a great natural feel to this short film, and this is its main selling point and what the audience will connect with the most as it plays out a very specific scene but yet in a way that will connect with many. Two friends fall into a sexual encounter in a jokey way but yet more happens in the moment. There is not too much more to it than that, but it is the natural feel to the characters and the scene that makes it work. In particular the transition from friendly banter to delicate intimacy is very well done, and it produced small shivers in the same way it does to the characters.

However, it takes a lot of time to get to this moment, and it spends far too long setting it up. I guess it is hard to edit something that feels organic and real - because real life isn't tight or snappy. As a result it spends too long in the chat and the sex; both of these work well but go on too long. This may not be an issue if the short didn't run to 20 minutes - for such a simple narrative too. Due to this, it feels padded, or that it didn't trust the viewer to understand the relationship quickly. It isn't without charm in the way it does seem to have a natural sense of itself and characters, but I didn't need it to do it for so long after it had already achieved its goal.

It does pay off in the silent and delicate moments, but it could have done what it did but with a tighter edit, and been better for it.