Do we love She Is Love? We'd love for you to find out...
Director: Jamie Adams
Starring: Haley Bennett, Sam Riley, Marisa Abela
Running time: 82 minutes
Jamie Adams’ latest entry gives us an alternative British romance just in time for Valentine's. An estranged couple encounters a chance meeting when Patricia (Haley Bennett) is in the UK, flown over from America on a business trip. Her assistant books her into a boutique Cornish hotel that happens to be the home of her ex-husband Idris (Sam Riley), and his new noticeably younger girlfriend Louise (Marisha Abela).
Patricia is isolated as the hotel’s lone guest in the beautiful countryside. Upon her arrival, her jet lag quickly gets the better of her as she dives into her bed. Her slumber is rudely interrupted by jarringly loud drum and bass music, which on investigation, is revealed to be coming from Idris, a once semi-successful DJ. From here, the pair apprehensively recount the memories shared, both good and bad, while Louise, an aspiring actor, prefers to act unaware of their closeness.
She is Love is relatively short at eighty minutes. The lack of any actual plot makes it frustratingly seem much longer
A trip down memory lane leads the divorcees into an alcohol-fueled evening of oddities. Dancing in the front room evolves into a confusing bath scene where they turn one another into ghosts, complete with white face paint (that Patricia happened to have). The film’s momentum begins to exasperate, as what started as a somewhat relatable awkwardness for ex-partners is soon lost.
The film is minimalistic with its locations. Instead, it centres itself within the hotel walls and focuses on dialogue-heavy performances - although Louise’s character development is also neglected. Aside from her running lines throughout the film, there is no understanding of who she is and how she and Idris came to be the owners of this hotel.
She is Love is relatively short at eighty minutes. The lack of any actual plot makes it frustratingly seem much longer. It feels like the film is in a constant cycle of repetition but to no avail.
She Is Love is now available on demand
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