Sundance London 2016: Other People review: A superb, darkly comic, emotional film notable for its excellence in writing, direction and performances.
Other People review
Other People review by Paul Heath, June 2016.
Other People revolves around a New York based, though Sacramento native comedy writer who moves back to his family home one winter to look after his sick mother. As it is revealed in the film’s highly dramatic, though darkly comic opening sees, she is dying of cancer, and the film charts the lead up to her eventual death of the disease (not a spoiler).
The film is a character driven piece, led by the wonderfully gifted Jesse Plemons, the actor who cared himself out quite a nice television career with the likes of Friday Night Lights, and then Breaking Bad, before moving into features with supporting, though strong turns in the likes of Black Mass, The Program and Bridge Of Spies. Plemons plays David, eldest of three children to Joanne and Norman, a relatively conservative couple from California, who outed himself as homosexual a few years previous. His mother (played by Molly Shannon) took a more liberal approach to his coming out as gay than his father (Bradley Whitford) who still struggles to mention the name of David’s live-in partner of many years Paul (Zach Woods), with whom he has just broken up with.
As well as focussing on Joanne’s terminal illness and how those who love her deal with it, the film also hones in on David’s forced reintroduction to his home-town after moving away to the big city, and of course living at home with his family, and it isn’t long after moving back in that he realises just how much of a stranger her has become to them.
Other People review
Other People, put simply, is a superb piece of modern storytelling. With constant themes of love, loss, change, reconnecting, separating and more, Chris Kelly‘s film manages to balance intense drama with subtle, though laugh-out-loud comedy, something that one would expect from a writer on NBC’s world-famous comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. It is evident from the start that this isn’t work of fiction – the film is revealed as a semi-autobiographical tale, drawing from Kelly’s own personal loss of his mother, and of course there is the connection of Plemons’ character being a comedy writer based in the Big Apple.
Kelly’s direction, as well as his solid screenwriting, is strong in his debut feature, drawing so much from his actors – notably Shannon’s cancer-ridden matriarch, a career best turn from arguably one of Hollywood’s most skilled actresses. Then there’s the young J.J. Total as the scene-stealing diva Justin (third most famous after Timberlake and Bieber) who is a joy and side-splitting hilarious to watch in every scene he’s in. Then there’s Plemons who arguably turns in his performance to date; an acting chameleon who rather than channeling his often-compared doppleganger Matt Damon, reminds us more of a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman, particularly towards the end of the picture. He really is turning into one of the finest actors of his generation.
Other People was the surprise of Sundance London so far – a very well written, often difficult to watch, though always light-hearted and funny look at the the themes of loss and reintegration – a memorable cinematic experience that had us staying in our cinema seat for just a little longer than usual after the credits rolled to allow those streaming tears to dry before the lights came up. This work is truly outstanding.
Other People review by Paul Heath, June 2016.
Other People screens at the Sundance London Film Festival.
