I had a chance to catch this film at the Chicago Film Festival, and I have to admit I was expecting something a little more lighthearted from Simon "Full Monty" Beaufoy. Not that this automatically made me dislike the movie; the fact that it's not good made me dislike it. The story concerns two best friends -- both criminals, one recently released from prison -- who find themselves on the run in the wilderness when they accidentally kill a young woman. The two pals spar, joke, laugh and cry together as they desperately attempt to stay alive over the course of one very grueling night.
With only one setting and a 24-hour time period, you would think the audience would be given ample opportunity to discover the inner workings of these two men, what makes them tick and stay together even as they destroy one another. And yet, screenwriter Beaufoy opts for a vague approach that doesn't really do justice to either of the central characters on screen. I understand that this is intentional; I do not understand why Beaufoy thought viewers would find it more interesting to watch his characters walk silently around the wilderness for what feels like hours on end.
The lead performance by Kenneth Glenaan as Heaton is phenomenal, though, as Glenaan brings shadings and depths due to his character that Beaufoy obviously did not provide in his script. "This is Not a Love Song" would make a spellbinding short film, but at feature length, it's meandering and repetitious to the point of boredom.
With only one setting and a 24-hour time period, you would think the audience would be given ample opportunity to discover the inner workings of these two men, what makes them tick and stay together even as they destroy one another. And yet, screenwriter Beaufoy opts for a vague approach that doesn't really do justice to either of the central characters on screen. I understand that this is intentional; I do not understand why Beaufoy thought viewers would find it more interesting to watch his characters walk silently around the wilderness for what feels like hours on end.
The lead performance by Kenneth Glenaan as Heaton is phenomenal, though, as Glenaan brings shadings and depths due to his character that Beaufoy obviously did not provide in his script. "This is Not a Love Song" would make a spellbinding short film, but at feature length, it's meandering and repetitious to the point of boredom.