It’s a revealing moment, and one of many expressive tells which Woodley threads into her performance. She takes a private moment and pats her own face with the palm of her hand, slapping the happy back into her countenance. But her expression is one which hardly seems fitting for a reunion with the niece who adores her. (Endings, Beginnings premiered in Toronto in 2019.)ĭaphne is surrounded by family when we first encounter her. Endings, Beginnings doesn’t exactly break new territory but it represents a return to form for the director who was less sure-footed with his higher concept sci fi projects, Zoe and Equals. The latest from Drake Doremus is a candid, very watchable account of a messy period in a woman’s life.Ī candid, very watchable account of a messy period in a woman’s life.Īs Doremus demonstrated with Like Crazy and Newness, he has a knack for capturing relationships in such flesh-and-blood depth, they almost become characters in their own right. To complicate matters, it turns out Jack (Jamie Dorman) and Frank (Sebastian Stan) are best friends. The plan for self-care doesn’t last when she meets two men, separately, at a New Year’s party. Stumbling bleeding out of the car-crash of a failed relationship and a job she has abruptly quit, Daphne is bunking in her sister’s pool house, and planning a six month sabbatical from relationships, drink and all the other stuff which gets her in trouble. The main problem is: It's not actually clear what is appealing and/or interesting about any of these people.Source: Toronto International Film FestivalĪ sensational performance from Shailene Woodley drives this portrait of a woman in her thirties who is looking for stability but lives for drama. Daphne sits around agonizing what to do, who should she choose, Jack or Frank? (How 'bout neither? How 'bout just enjoy your flings for what they are? Such a liberated mindset does not exist in the film, not even as an opposing viewpoint). The constant yearning-romantic needle drops are relentless. It's effective: memories don't unfold in a linear narrative when you think back on them. Daphne gets flashbacks to her relationship falling apart, and these come in fragmentary images, literal "flashes," here and then gone. There are some nice stylistic flourishes. ![]() And so is Stan, exuding charm and troubled sex appeal, as well as a strain of true sadness and loneliness. ![]() It's nice to see Jamie Dornan playing a regular guy instead of a serial killer (" The Fall") or a lonely bazillionaire with a penchant for BDSM (" Fifty Shades of Grey"). That being said, the performances are grounded in in-the-moment reality, and nothing is pushed. Frank is a melancholy bachelor who does drugs (she is horrified), and Jack talks about Nikos Kazantzakis and is all super smart and everything. The two men are presented in a binary way: Frank makes her come, Jack makes her think. Oh, Daphne, you need to learn the freedom of a "friend with benefits" arrangement. She has feelings for both! Jack gets a fellowship in Rome, and she can barely hide her dismay at him leaving her. Daphne has hot steamy sex with Frank, and goes on proper dates with Jack, and she's lying to both about her dealings with the other. ("Endings, Beginnings" is a potent reminder of why I disabled sound alerts on my phone.). ![]() He tells her he is suffering too, and says stuff like, "You're killing me," or "You're driving me crazy." Five minutes later she meets Jack ( Jamie Dornan), a friendly Irish writer who is instantly interested in her. Frank ( Sebastian Stan) approaches her with the pickup line: "Who are you hiding from in that dress?" She talks about her suffering. Daphne is just a week into staying at her sister's when she meets two gorgeous hunks at a party.
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