My love for comedies has no bounds. Typically I watch films to escape, and I realize that seems pretty limiting considering all the documentaries, dramas and thrillers out there but comedies will forever be my first love. Over the last year as I binge watched like I’ve never binged before, I started to realize Netflix originals, new releases and even HBO are all full of dramas and downers, murders and destruction, depression and angst. I welcome any and all stories, but during a pandemic I don’t find comfort in reality or looking down the barrel of our dismal ecological future. Can a girl just laugh? Damn. The three movies I’m going to talk about below may have had a little strife here and there but they were just fun and heartfelt, exactly what I needed right now.
Too Far Away (2019 | Germany | 89 minutes | Sarah Winkenstette)
A young German boy, Ben, and his family are unwillingly forced from their little village after it was slated to be torn down to make room for fracking and oil mongers. Soccer is his passion and leaving his team and his town behind is unbearable. Enter Yoran, another new kid obsessed with soccer and just as good (if not better) than Ben, but his journey to the city was a little farther coming from Syria. The two of them reluctantly begin talking but soon become fast friends on a deeper level than you would have expected. After finding out Yoran and his brother were separated on their way to Germany, Ben (and the rest of their class) are on the hunt to find him.
While this film sounds light-hearted and sweet (and there are definitely notes of that throughout) it also addresses more serious issues of war, family and heartache. Kids understand more about the world around them than we give them credit for and instead of dodging around the realities, it should be faced head-on so we all become more well-equipped to deal with what comes our way. This film brings that reality to life and the depth with which the two young protagonists discuss their emotions is impressive. The acting didn’t seem forced or surface at all, I was floored and moved by their performances.
Together, Together (2021 | USA | 90 minutes | Nikole Beckwith)
A single guy in his forties, Matt (Ed Helms), is tired of waiting for the right person to start a family so he decides to start one on his own… sort of. Enter the surrogate Anna (Patti Harrison) complete with a gruff and indifferent exterior she doesn’t realize she’s looking for family until one is thrust upon her.
Admittedly this was one of only a few features I sought out ahead of time at SIFF. Ed Helms isn’t exactly my favorite actor, but he definitely brings to mind the word “delightful” more often than not and he certainly has the potential to impress with a powerful performance if he was ever given one; this might be that one. Eager and constantly hovering over Anna, Matt just wants to understand and know every little thing as the baby grows and Anna has to deal with some pretty powerful and long-dormant feelings about family. This wasn’t the typical baby story, it’s more about the definition of family and platonic love. It’s about damn time someone made a movie about that. I get all gooey over romantic comedies, I admit, but I think audiences are ready for something more meaningful than a meet-cute eventually ending in “happily ever after”.
This Town (2020 | New Zealand | 91 minutes | David White)
Sean is a young man accused, by overzealous local law enforcement, of killing his entire family. He swears up, down and sideways that he is not the killer, but no one in their small town seems to believe him. In the style of “The Office” and to a lesser extent “Parks and Rec”, This Town follows Pam, a local ex-cop fired from the force after harassing Sean for far too long with far too little evidence; but losing her job didn’t stop her from obsessing over the case for the last decade. A documentary crew seems to be interviewing her along with many of the other folks in town, but there’s no real mention of why they’re there. When Sean finally starts to move on and find love, his fellow townspeople just won’t let him forget.
This one caught my eye when I was doing my preliminary research on SIFF, so it’s fitting that it’s the last one I’ll write about. I’m a sucker for New Zealand comedy, the dry weird wit with a bit of cheek thrown in, how can you not be smitten? This Town combined the awkwardness of Napoleon Dynamite and the small town weirdness of a Fargo to make something delicious and intriguing. While I was able successfully guess the big reveal, it was still well worth watching till the end just to enjoy the quips, silliness and goony romance that played out. If you’re looking for an effervescent summer-time flick with not even a whiff of the pandemic mentioned, this is your movie.
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