Summary
An intimate and often tense portrait of a family in trouble. A definite highlight of this year’s MIFF – and maybe even one of the best of 2020.
The opening scene of Robert Machoian’s grabs viewers by the shirt collars immediately. The as-yet unnamed David (Clayne Crawford) stands over a sleeping couple with a gun in his hand.
The combination of the leading title and the precursor to violence might lead you to believe that you know exactly where this film is going. Yet what Machoian crafts here is actually a strangely powerful family film, one that takes a snapshot of a relationship under strain.
We rapidly learn that David is under a wee bit of strain. Recently separated from his wife Nikki (Sepideh Moafi), they are meant to be enjoying space while working out their issues. Despite an agreement they could see other people, and his desperation to be back with his wife and four kids, David’s violent temper and jealousy cause even more tension.
Machoian’s background as a documentarian is immediately evident. Through a series of intense long takes, under the steady and intimate photography of cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez, we feel every single beat of David’s experience. Information is given out on a need-to-know basis, as if we are simply observers of a moment in time.
After that powerhouse opening, this quietly unassuming film always feels as though there’s a massive explosion just around the corner. When those eruptions do come – David confronting one of Nikki’s boyfriends, his temperamental relationship with his daughter, a mannequin he uses to unleash his aggressions – they serve as punctuations more than punctures. If nothing else, it suggests that even if David is successful in his quest, the problem may lie not in their separation but in himself.
Machoian doesn’t pretend that he has all the answers by the end of the film, leaving us on a kind of bittersweet note. The dam has finally broken, and it’s with resignation that the issues are resolved. Strangely, the moment of domestic shopping feels just as tense as the loaded gun in the opening shot.
2020 | US| DIRECTOR: Robert Machoian | WRITER: Robert Machoian | CAST: Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi, Chris Coy, Avery Pizzuto, Arri Graham, Ezra Graham| DISTRIBUTOR: MIFF 2020 (AUS), Sorø Films (US), Pivot Pictures (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 6-23 August 2020 (MIFF), 16 September 2021 (AUS)
