Almost Interesting: Sam Neave’s Latest Technically Impressive, Dramatically Impotent
Coasting along on a matter of style over substance is Sam Neave’s latest film, Almost In Love, in which the indie director pulls a Rope (1948) and presents us with a film shot entirely in two continuous 40 minutes takes. Of course, similar feats have been done recently, such as both versions of the recent Silent House (2010, 2011), which were both filmed in one continuous take, and, to greater success, Aleksandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark (2002). But for all of the technical prowess on display here and in other mentioned titles, more often than not, we tend to focus more on flaws and sometimes awkward flourishes that would have been more easily avoided in multiple takes.
Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) is in the midst of holding a dinner party at his Staten Island apartment, which boasts a glorious view of the Manhattan skyline (“What is this,...
Coasting along on a matter of style over substance is Sam Neave’s latest film, Almost In Love, in which the indie director pulls a Rope (1948) and presents us with a film shot entirely in two continuous 40 minutes takes. Of course, similar feats have been done recently, such as both versions of the recent Silent House (2010, 2011), which were both filmed in one continuous take, and, to greater success, Aleksandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark (2002). But for all of the technical prowess on display here and in other mentioned titles, more often than not, we tend to focus more on flaws and sometimes awkward flourishes that would have been more easily avoided in multiple takes.
Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) is in the midst of holding a dinner party at his Staten Island apartment, which boasts a glorious view of the Manhattan skyline (“What is this,...
- 2/15/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Director Sam Neave and his producer/star Marjan Neshat are both Iranian-born, but the films they tend to make together — including 2003′s Sundance entry Cry Funny Happy and their terrific new two shot high-wire act Almost in Love — focus on the romantic travails of upper-middle-class Westerners in ways that are as funny as they are earnest. Their newest film, despite its intentionally schematic, downright arty structural contrivance, is a surprisingly rich meditation on friendship, the difficulty of settling down and the importance of being earnest. Performed in humorous and melancholy shades by an odd assortment of performers, most notably Ms. Neshat, Gary Wilmes, Alan Cumming and Alex Karpovsky — who …...
- 2/13/2013
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Shot digitally in two extended 40-minute takes, director Sam Neave's Almost in Love has audacity and theatrical immediacy working for it. There's also some really impressive sound design. And that's it, pretty much. The actors rise to the occasion, stunt-jumping over Stagecraft Canyon with adequately unbroken performances, but it's hard to avoid describing the characters as a bunch of boring, entitled drama queens. So in the interest of expediency: Jesus, these people are boring. In the film's first half, Sasha (Alex Karpovsky) throws a veranda party at his Staten Island condo, attended by a bunch of supposedly witty friends, including Mia (Marjan Neshat), the woman he secretly loves, and Kyle (Gary Wilmes) the best friend who once dated her even though he knew. Neave's camera d...
- 2/13/2013
- Village Voice
Director Sam Neave and his producer/star Marjan Neshat are both Iranian born, but the films they tend to make together, which include the unfortunately titled 2003′s Sundance entry Cry Funny Happy and their terrific new two shot high-wire act Almost in Love, tend to focus on the romantic travails of upper-middle-class Westerners. As such, they are naturals for the American independent festival scene, where such films usually find their natural constituency, that being other upper-middle-class Westerners. Not so for Almost in Love, their daring second feature collaboration, which had its world premiere this past weekend at the 5th Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the increasingly respected festival run by former San Francisco and Tribeca topliner Peter Scarlet unspooling for nine days in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, just an hour flight from their native land.
Scarlet has brought the knack for terrific Middle Eastern programming he displayed at...
Scarlet has brought the knack for terrific Middle Eastern programming he displayed at...
- 10/20/2011
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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