Between Us

FILM: Between Us

DIRECTOR: Rafael Palacio Illingworth

RATING 6.5/10

A synopsis of this film describes the central couple as suddenly hurling into free fall. What sends them on this soft crumble? Why it's the fear of getting married, of course. Knowing this, I was ready to dismiss this film as yet another indie meditation on yet another heterosexual couple's inability to commit. Seriously, when will straight people learn what homosexuals have always had to know: if you don't want to get married, guess what, you don't have to! And since, in real life, I wasn't allowed to even consider marriage an option until recently I still have a few deep-rooted eyerolls stored up for films where privilege is cast as burden.

But minority perspective aside (isn't that always the way), I did enjoy this film. Yes there are plenty of other films out there that deal more effectively with the ineffable stuff that we don't say to the person that we love. But this film wasn't nearly as melodramatic as it could have been, as other films in its peer group in fact, and that's a major testament to the artistry of the film maker. The performances from Olivia Thirlby and especially Ben Feldman, directed with great nuance and skill by Director Rafael Palacio Illingworth, set this film apart from other typically indulgent fare. And while the ending may leave some cringing, there were undoubtedly moments of visual poetry within this film that were rife with potential. I hope, in the future, to see this Director explore his visual metaphors more completely.