Pretend That You Love Me (2020) User Reviews

A true independent film

[jensghe · 9/10 · 20 March 2021]

This unique little film uses its "one man army production" as a strength, and tells its story through a narrative a larger production would not be able to. Joel Haver is able to tackle his emotional longing for love in a most intimate fashion, by making you aware of himself as a filmmaker making a film. After having followed him on a number of different dates that all unfold in a very similar manner. We get a sense that the whole project is not just "some film", but an experimental process Joel endures in hopes of creating something with a lasting value. As the film continues the somewhat constructed love story crumbles, as Joel is met with a most devastating event, now in need of intimate love more than ever. A beautifully sad and profound film about loneliness that never can be replicated. An experience so honest and raw, that left me hopeful about the future of independent filmmaking. And its on YouTube!!!

Well worth a watch

[tommorrissocial · 9/10 · 1 January 2021]

If you watch the first 10 minutes and it's not your thing i'd understand though this film has had me thinking about it for the past week. I love the wide shots in which the characters are just apart of a beautiful frame.

VERY BIG RECOMMEND

Raw emotion

[roryburke2211 · 10/10 · 24 June 2021]

I've been a big fan of Joel for a while, and have watched a few of his films, so I knew on some level what to expect with this. The same cannot be said for my housemate. He's the sort of guy who likes movies on for background noise more than for plot, and is the last person I would expect to sit through anything resembling an 'indie' movie. I expected he would insist I turn this off within 5 minutes, but instead, we both sat there 90 minutes later speechless and with tears in our eyes.

What I'm trying to say is that Joel's filmmaking style is unlike anything I've ever encountered. It is so raw, so unfiltered, and so honest that it doesn't feel like you're watching a movie at all. The lines between fiction and reality are so blurred, and all the performances (if they can even be called that) are so insanely authentic and believable that you really feel you are a fly on the wall of the most intimate moments of these peoples lives.

At times this feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion. It can be agonizingly awkward but for some reason you can't look away. The creativity in which Joel uses the medium to convey such a strong and specific emotion reminds me of the power of indie movies, and how sometimes larger production and budgets can get in the way of emotion, rather than enhance it.

What else can I say. If you love indie movies, you will love this. If you hate them, I think you'll love it to.

Beautiful

[cashtoncoleholbert · 9/10 · 3 March 2021]

This movie is truly heart wrenching. It felt so raw. It was so real. I loved every second of it. Highly recommend.

Joel is the father of online independent cinema

[wrightexe · 9/10 · 3 August 2022]

It's hard to differentiate what's fact or fiction in this movie, and that's a good thing. It's genuine. It's raw. It's life. Joel's cinematography and grading combined with the great performances and reactions just make this movie something to recommend. I definitely cried watching this.

I wanted to hate this film

[lordplon · 8/10 · 12 June 2023]

I WANTED to hate this film. I wanted it to be just another arrogant film student's precocious stab in the dark at doing something overly-ambitious and deep. And for a minute, it didn't disappoint. But as the story develops, much to my chagrin, the lead character becomes very real in the most painful of ways. We start to see a bit of ourselves in the protagonist and relate our own foibles and follies in the dating scene. Then the film takes a HARD left turn with the tragic death of the filmmaker's father. It would appear the father (introduced earlier in the piece) had lost a long and hard-fought battle with cancer. I sat in my chair with mouth agape watching a guy eulogize his own father in an independent film. So at the very least I couldn't fault the guy for faking it. (yes, it was a real event and a real funeral with very real and raw emotions). To include that in your little independent film (of which I was a part of many in my college days) is just sincere and intimate in a way so many others are not.

So this little independent no-budget film I wanted to hate, actually touched me. Is it overly ambitious? Perhaps. It is artsy-fartsy in ways I despise? Sometimes... but in this one instance IT ACTUALLY WORKS. Joel Haver might be one of the few Gen-Z youtuber / filmmakers I can proudly recommend.

I walked away happy that I had watched the film and actually feeling a connection to the filmmaker and that is something very few others in the $0 budget genre have been able to achieve. IF nothing else, you walk away knowing that Joel is a real person and that he really let the world INSIDE for this project. Hence, I would categorize this film as 'Experimental". Because it really was a little experiment in love, run real-time, and documented for posterity. I would like to think the events in the film were all as real and raw as the tragic climax because that takes this film to a new level. "Autobiographical Love Experiment" is the best alternate title I could give this film. Good job Joel. I wanted to hate this film but I didn't. And now at the end of my review, I actually think I enjoyed it. Kudos, man... well done.

P. S. His comedy shorts on Youtube are priceless btw... well worth a visit.

Dating, Movies, Life

[edolet · 10/10 · 20 March 2024]

Joel Haver consistently proves that you can tell great stories--and make great movies--without millions of dollars and dozens of crew. "Pretend That You Love Me" seems to blend reality with fiction, establishing an interesting perspective on what dating is as well as what a movie is.

The unpolished nature of the film makes the.beautifully framed shots and emotional impact all the more powerful.

Whether you are a Joel Haver fan or have no idea who he is, and whether you enjoy zero-budget movies or have never seen one, this is a film worth watching and I have enjoyed rewatching it with friends who had no idea what they were going to see.

I am a big fan of Joel and a big fan of this movie.