I'm not sure why this film didn't find the praise it deserves, or a bigger audience, or a push from a well known festival, or a second chance at redemption from cable television, but it didn't. Like so many "unsold" indie films HONEYMOON fell through the cracks. If there is any film justice in this world perhaps IMDb will give this little movie -- a movie that should have been a career maker (just like THE RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN was for John Sayles and Company) -- some much deserved notice. Rarely does a film with such a modest production value and unknown cast delve so honestly into sexual dysfunction and marriage with the unflinching skill shown in HONEYMOON. By no means is this film perfect. More than a few times I had a cringe response to the dialogue. If there is one thing (one expensive lesson) the filmmakers could stand to learn for their future efforts is that less is always more when it comes to dialog. What saves this film (from itself) is the brave, raw, and uncompromising performances of Edith Meeks and Dylan McCormick. Find this movie and share it with your film geek friends.
3 Reviews
Mountain out of molehill
hof-426 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Mimi and Michael, in their early thirties, have been friends (just friends) for years. On a whim (or on realizing their dwindling choices) they decide to marry. They do so without any ceremony or wedding reception, and without involvement of their families. Their wedding night is a disaster; Michael is unable to perform. The situation persists for a few tense days and then it disappears by itself, as is usually the case with healthy couples that care for each other.
This is it, but maybe there something below the surface. Maybe there is some stress with promoting (?) a friend to sex partner. Both Mimi and Michael claim previous sexual relationships but both seem strangely unable to handle the situation, help each other or even to defuse the tension with a touch of humor, which makes one suspicious of their actual sexual past. As to sense of humor: they haven't much. Both face the situation in disproportionately dramatic ways, inflating a rather trivial episode with the pathos of a Greek tragedy. Perhaps there is a little navel gazing on the part of Mimi. Perhaps she weaves conclusions out of nothing. Perhaps this is the point of the movie.
In old times, failure on the wedding night was usually attributed to the groom and it was a matter of dishonor to keep secret. No man would attest to being impotent, even temporarily. However, even in the movie pre-Web time frame of the eighties, this taboo had (partly) disappeared and information (not necessarily accurate) on sex matters and wedding night mishaps was dispensed by a host of popular magazines. However, impotence was still a stigma. Maybe still is.
This is it, but maybe there something below the surface. Maybe there is some stress with promoting (?) a friend to sex partner. Both Mimi and Michael claim previous sexual relationships but both seem strangely unable to handle the situation, help each other or even to defuse the tension with a touch of humor, which makes one suspicious of their actual sexual past. As to sense of humor: they haven't much. Both face the situation in disproportionately dramatic ways, inflating a rather trivial episode with the pathos of a Greek tragedy. Perhaps there is a little navel gazing on the part of Mimi. Perhaps she weaves conclusions out of nothing. Perhaps this is the point of the movie.
In old times, failure on the wedding night was usually attributed to the groom and it was a matter of dishonor to keep secret. No man would attest to being impotent, even temporarily. However, even in the movie pre-Web time frame of the eighties, this taboo had (partly) disappeared and information (not necessarily accurate) on sex matters and wedding night mishaps was dispensed by a host of popular magazines. However, impotence was still a stigma. Maybe still is.
Great
arbencoh20 June 2019
I agree that this film deserves much more praise. It's so engaging, so lovingly made... Look out for this one and also the other Dan Sallit films, I think all of them are major discoveries. They contain extraordinary performances by Edith Meeks, Dylan McCormick, Strawn Bovee, Tallie Medel, etc, all of them (like the director) virtually unknown.
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