Apart is a puzzling, romantic mystery about two young individuals, Noah (Josh Danziger) and Emily (Olesya Rulin), linked by a rare psychological disorder (ICD-10 F.24). At the beginning of the film we are informed that this was based on actual events. I think not. After a discussion with the filmmaker, Aaron Rottinghaus, I made the clarification that it’s actually based on an obscure event where two people checked into the hospital with similar bleeding marks. Is this a coincidence or does this supernatural-like disorder truly has any validity? Well, it doesn’t matter. What intrigued me about the film is the enigmatic connection we make with other people.
Apart begins as Noah awakens, paralyzed, in a hospital. Gradually, his mind, speech, body movement, and most importantly, his memory gradually recovers. In fact, both Noah and Emily are seen by psychiatrists to understand their bizarre and violent event.
The best part of the narrative is that this isn’t the actual beginning of the plot, just the story. As the film progresses, we learn about a fatal school bus crash, where both Emily and Noah were involved and survived in. Their disorder allows for them to see the consequences of such drastic events before they occur; the bloody aftermath, to be more specific.
When I asked the writer and director about the influence for their original and beautifully shot film, they mentioned the Hitchockian classic, Vertigo (1958). Please, do not see Apart and expect to walk into the hypnotic classic. Perhaps it was the combination of a mystery and a love story, which refers to the masterpiece, but other than that, it’s the only reference to Vertigo I could spot. Vertigo is a surreal piece of cinema about undying obsession, above many other things.
Apart was stunningly photographed on HD (the same camera used in The Social Network (2010), and surprisingly displayed a large depth of field, which can be difficult when shooting on HD. For example, during a flashback sequence of a school bus crash, the use of a sun-glowing color effect in post-production and awkward angles brought out a nice deep focus in the image. In fact, every technical stage of this little indie flick radiates with professionalism.
The film contains an interesting, yet slightly flawed nonlinear structure. I think the plot works well by jumping sequences out of order, increasing the mysterious intrigue between the two star-crossed lovers, but it all builds up to a rather vague ending. Another issue I had with the film was the lack of chemistry between the two leads. They never have much to say to one another and during instances where they should be screaming with grief, they seem rather emotionless.
During the Q&A, an audience member questioned the use of a nonlinear structure. The filmmakers weren’t quite sure themselves, but from the tone of their voice, you can tell they wanted to just say, “Hey, it works better.” In my opinion, the only reason to use a nonlinear structure is to enhance the drama, and in the case with Apart, it works.
*** (out of four)
No comments:
Post a Comment