So with Valentine’s Day coming up, I am sure you are just dying to find that date, well I basically gave up and have to deal with being single. Anyway, for those who have significant others, I hope you’ve planned something special for Valentine’s Day. Maybe a romantic dinner, a walk in the icy cold park at night, maybe at the end of the day before you get to the bedroom you’ll cuddle up in a blanket on the couch and pop in some sappy romantic movie to give you reasons to cuddle tighter as the movie progresses. I hear 'Fifty Shades Darker' is hitting the theaters, sounds like a perfect date to me as long as you don’t end up having sex in the theater because of it.
While I am always a sucker for a good romantic film or book every once in a while, at the same time I just CAN’T STAND THEM! Yeah, that’s the critic in me ruin movies for everyone. I’m sorry but there are times where I see the same plot done over and over in a romance movie. A couple falls in love, then half way though the story, at the peak of their relationship, something happens that gets between them, and the rest of the film follows them either getting back together or growing further and further apart. But in these convoluted messes, we call romantic flicks there are many you can watch on Valentine’s Day.
You can watch 'Titanic,' or 'A Walk to Remember,' or even' Fifty Shades of Grey!' But out of all these films, there is one film I love the most, just for how unique it is and how it sets itself apart from all the other romantic films out there. This film is called 'In Your Eyes.'
'In Your Eyes' was directed by Brin Hill and written by Joss Whedon was released in 2014. Rather it receiving a theatrical release, it was distributed over the internet, and you can find it on Netflix. It’s received very positive feedback and after seeing it myself, I can see why. I was originally hooked because I am a fan of Joss Whedon. If no one knows who he is, you most likely know something he’s worked on. He was the screenwriter for 'Toy Story.' He was the creator of my favorite series, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' He also created the short-lived series 'Firefly,' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' He also directed the two Avenger films.
The movie tells of two strangers, Rebecca Porter (Zoe Kazan) and Dylan Kershaw (Michael Stahl-Davis.) Dylan lives in a trailer and is on parole having spent time in prison, while Rebecca lives with her husband, Phillip, a doctor who treated her while she was in the mental ward. They are complete strangers, having never met each other, and live on completely opposite sides of the country.
However, they can feel each other’s feelings and senses, and they can communicate to each other without a phone or the internet. Talk about a paranormal twist on the long-distance relationship cliché. There is no explanation to how they can talk to each other, but I think that’s what makes it fascinating. It makes us wonder why these two people? Why do they have this ability? How can they communicate? These questions are deliberately left for the viewer to decide for themselves.
What I loved about this movie was how they relationship grew. Up until the final minutes of the film, they are never in the same room, but yet see them interact, while at the same time, we get a deep look into their personal lives, and how they shape the characters. Dylan has done jail time in prison, and it’s hinted that he took the blame for a crime his friends did, and all he wants to do is turn his life around, but his friends come back and ask him to help them with another heist. Rebecca is married to a well-respected doctor, Phillip. Phillip seems to have some dominant power over her and seems psychologically abusive at times. Alongside the fact that when they talk to interact with each other, which is sometimes in public, it does draw attention to themselves and seems very suspicious. With these outside forces affecting their lives, as well as being on different sides of the country, they can’t fulfill the romance between them. The climax is basically the two trying to meet up for the first time, I would say they meet halfway, but Dylan does most of the traveling. I know that sounds a bit boring but it’s actually very intense.
This is a very interesting take on a romance, but you could see it as a long distance relationship but with a paranormal twist, but the movie is crafted so well that you forget its basic premise and find yourself invested in the characters, and watching them interact is amazing. Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-Davis work off each other very wall, and for literally 99 percent of the film, they don’t share the screen together. They are adorable and even a bit funny in places.
The cinematography is wonderful and has an art-house kind of feel. The soundtrack is also beautiful, enforcing the atmosphere and the emotion of each scene. There are many scenes in the film where both the soundtrack and the cinematography shine, but I think the place where it shines the most is in the scene where they decide to “feel” each other for the first time. I can’t really describe it here because it’s a visual experience but the use of the camera changes, lighting and the soundtrack all work together drawing out the emotions. It really feels like the two lovers are actually feeling each other for the first time, despite not being in the same room. The remains my favorite scene of the entire movie, aside from the ending scene.
If you want a romantic film for your date night that will have you cuddling tighter since you’re thankful to be in the same room together. Check out this film! You will not regret it.
