Natalie Morales co-writes and directs this heart-warming two-hander, a tale of two lost souls coming together over Zoom. Not set during this awful pandemic, but merely a tale of a student and his teacher when Mark Duplass’ Adam is gifted a number of Spanish lessons from his husband. Morales plays Cariño, said Spanish teacher, in this deeply involving tale premiering in the Berlinale Special strand of this year’s festival.
Adam lives in a massive house in Oakland, California. Huge, it seems from the opening frames. The first image we see, though, is that of Cariño, miles away in Costa Rica, patiently waiting for her new student’s big entrance to his waiting surprise of web-based Spanish lessons – 100 of them – a gift from Will (Desean Terry), only audible off-screen. Adam is new to his new-found wealth, which we learn has come from his spouse’s hugely successful local dance company. He seemingly has trouble filling his days, and has a routine that an hour of lessons each week look set to drastically disturb, but he’s willing to give things a go, and agrees to continue with his online sessions.
Adam and Cariño have an instant bond, and it is evident that that Adam already has some understanding of the foreign language, frequently interacting with his new teacher in her native tongue. Things change during lesson two when Adam is late in answering the call, and it is revealed that a sudden tragedy has shifted the dynamic and Adam’s train of thought. He’s clearly devastated, and his relationship with Cariño shifts from student-teacher to something much deeper.
I was instantly won over by Language Lessons. It is a film that uses static cameras – perfectly framed by Jeremy Mackie – but it never feels claustrophobic or motionless. Each scene – broken down into individual lessons or video messages, is structured into six titled chapters; Immersion, Comprehension, Context, Grammar, Extra Credit and Fluency. It all works brilliantly, and both Mark Duplass as Adam and Natalie Morales as Cariño are excellent, both offering very natural performances as these two people who find each other in quite the unusual way.
The initial plot device in the screenplay, which I will refrain from mentioning even though it does arrive early on, was initially a little hard to buy into, but its sudden impact and the almost reactionless Adam powerfully reflects what the character is processing – and it is difficult not to go with. It’s superbly staged by Morales’ excellent direction, exceptional writing, and the two brilliant performances front and centre.
A solid third act wraps everything up perfectly, the final frames quite beautiful and uplifting. I’ve seen that Duplass describes Language Lessons as a romantic comedy without the romance, which I couldn’t agree with more. It describes it perfectly. A lovely, moving, rewarding drama featuring two likable souls absolutely going through the ringer. I loved it.
Language Lessons screens in the Berlinale Special strand of the 71st Berlin Film Festival.
Language Lessons
Summary
A simple, though effective love story – minus the love – that will warm your heart, move you to tears and ultimately uplift you during its tight 90 minute running time.
