| | Married. In a relationship. Single. I’m not talking about the relationship tab on a social media site but about the lives of the average young adult. Some marry early on or get engaged; and some are forever the single man or woman. Wearing that free and available pin proudly on their chests. But do you ever notice that once you decide on a “status” and decide to stick with it, options always seem to become available? That girl who could never find a boyfriend, gets married and all of a sudden the men are coming out of the woodwork to be with her? That man you never thought about “that way” suddenly becomes incredibly attractive; only after you’re engaged to someone else? It could be a case of the grass always being greener on the other side, but probably just a case of the person not being ready for the commitment they’ve made. Then you have friendships and the one long standing rule. Don’t mess with your friends guy/girlfriend. Past or current. So what’s a person to do when you become crazily attracted to your friends wife? Or what to do when she becomes attracted to you also? It’s easy to tell yourself to simply stay away. Harder to actually do it. Or maybe a one time mistake is making it’s way to 2. Or more. Till death parts us. Friendships. Relationships and loyalty are all put on trial in this movie. ARC: A Love story tackles the big issues of relationships, dating friendships when love and lust rear their heads. Simple concepts to write out on paper but infinitely complex once you attempt to break things down. ARC paces itself for the long haul and is sometimes brutally slow. Much like older movies, the name of the game isn’t to get as much action as possible into your brain, it’s about the slow build. Character development. With that said, ARC will probably better fare with an older audience. Maybe. The problem is that the audience that “will” appreciate the slower pacing may not relate to what our characters are doing or going through. A large chunk of this title is ear marked for partying; and that quickly becomes old. You could argue that McLeod and Folsom are going for that real, gritty approach to life. It may be “real” and realistic, but can come across as frivolous or even scarier… filler. If you’re willing to go with it however, the subtle queues that keep things within the story are always present. They’re just below the surface instead of front and center.
Ben and Naomi (Joey Folsom & Martha Harms) as our destined couple perform well in their fateful roles. Hurt, broken and longing for more have never looked so good. Especially during the ending sequences of this title. They’re not alone. ARC features some great performances all around. Especially during suspicion and confrontation scenes between friends. What I really liked was that things were not clean. This entire title is about the grit and filth of relationships. Both figuratively and literally. Broken and failing. The cast of this title make ARC seem real. As if you’re a guy who just happens to be sitting in a corner somewhere. Taking it all in.
From one scene to the next. From one party to the next. ARC does the trick even though it’s not perfect. But if you’re one of those people that doesn’t mind a title with a slower start, you just may find yourself falling in love with this picture. There’s just so much relatable issues. We’ve all felt that uncontrollable passion for someone else. Those strings of loyalty being stretched as we oogle and fantasize about someone we shouldn’t. I would also go as far as to say many people have done things they maybe wish they hadn’t. Or maybe are glad they had? Like this film, even bad decisions can be justified sometimes by the long game. Time can heal many wounds including those of betrayal. Especially if, when considering the ending results, things worked out right. Somewhere in the middle is ARC: A Love Story. Reminding us that finding love isn’t always a happy fairy tale.
| |
