Something, Anything

This modest indie parable has an interesting premise: 20-something Margaret starts to search for something more fulfilling than marriage and career after her husband lets her down in a monumental way and she's forced to stiff a client to make a little extra profit for her company. The storyline's original enough to hold our interest at first, but Margaret's gradual downsizing of her life is largely carried out in silence, and what little dialogue there is is strictly functional, so the pace begins to drag a bit.

She seems inspired by the example of a friend's brother, a Trappist monk at the famous Gethsemani monastery, but the connection between them is tenuous, and when their paths do cross, the outcome is inconclusive (though not for the obvious reason). This is a film you have to bring a lot to in order to take anything away from it. First-time director Paul Harrill doesn't seem to be able to add much texture to what finally seems like a fairly generic tale, and it may be hard to get involved in Margaret's story unless you're already in total sympathy with her spiritual quest.