Everything about this movie-the characters, the language, the progression, the way it's shot, etc-is an honest, strong and thought-provoking depiction of the human experience as the characters look for and try to get a hold of what they hope is love.
6 Reviews
dark film but worth a watch
williamgway28 April 2020
At times, this is a tough watch. But would still recommend. It is a (successful) experiment with edgy filming and conversational dialogue among the actors. This film strips away much of the film artifice to deliver a solid story. Worth checking out.
Where is the ambition?
nrangosch29 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I am still wondering why this film was chosen to be screened in a cinema. Of course, most aspects that I disliked are obviously intentional, but some of those give me the impression of being deliberately neglected even though it made the screening very stressful and, for me, at some point not worth enduring.
I expected, of course a shaky camera and maybe some cheesiness due to the text introducing the film on the official website. However, I wonder why the quality and mix of the sound was done with so little ambition. There were some sequences where the music was so loud that it was impossible to understand what the characters were saying. I guess it was also partially a mistake made by the cinema, that they did not check the volume beforehand. Still, I believe that the sound was recorded with the same lo-fi equipment as the picture which is first of all consistent with the style, but for me as the recipient not fit for viewing in a cinema. The combination of the two sometimes produced a tension and indisposition in me that was not beneficial to my experience of the movie.
Apart from the technical aspects, I also had problems with the dialogue and the way of storytelling. I was not able to sympathise with any of the protagonists, quite the contrary, I was almost constantly annoyed with their views of a relationship and social interaction in general, happening on a very low level in terms of self-reflection but with a fairly high amount of aggression and conviction (comparing the beginning of a relationship with a football (?) game), and some lofty monologues. The official synopsis introduces the film as "deeply intimate" which it might be, although not in a very convincing or "authentic" way as some of the dialogue doesn't seem naturalistic at all, to me it seemed similar to a Reality-TV style half-improvisation, although acting was not bad.
"Loneliness and desperation for meaningful human contact are big themes in this film, but so is the sweet, joyful optimism of the beginning of something new and, just maybe, beautiful." - official synopsis
I agree, loneliness and desperation for meaningful human contact are the big themes of this film, it is quite obviously the case, especially in the first part of the film where a guy from the US finally meets the woman he fell in love with online, in real life. The conflict that arises between the two is quite amusing and this is also the only part of the film that I enjoyed. But there was nothing "sweet" or "beautiful" about their fight, when she invites him to meet her family after the first date. There is a lot of swearing, he calls her a b**ch, she doesn't understand why he is upset at all, which is actually quite sad, even though I could not feel it. It might be that the complete detachment that I had towards the characters' emotions contributed to the fun I had, but for me it would have also been important to be able take the protagonist at least a little bit serious.
But in the second part, which was about a couple separating after the woman slept with another man, her ex was driving around doing random things I could not encode, was not funny at all, just confusing and over-amplified. Again, I could not connect with the characters in any way, so for me, there was nothing to be gained by staying in the cinema. I don't believe I missed anything.
With all due respect for experimenting in film and using lo-fi equipment, this was not fit for cinema and for my ears, the characters were repulsive to me. And even if the intention was to make a movie with lots of references to the internet, to videos recorded with mobile phones or other devices that produce lo-fi style picture and sound, reality-TV style dialogues that give the audience a feeling of superiority and lets them amuse themselves, looking down upon these fools that have a misconception of communication and relationships, I still don't get two things: Firstly, why then show the film to a cinema audience, why not be consequent until the end and show it to an internet or (reality-)TV audience; secondly, why make a film if there so little ambition? The themes that are treated could be important if the film was made for the audience to receive it as important, by adding some sincerity to the portrayal of the characters and their problems, and by allowing the audience to feel some empathy for them.
Some problems that arise from the use of online communication are important for the development of our society. I don't really think that this film was made just to make fun of this. Unfortunately, that's the only thing, that I think, worked in it.
I expected, of course a shaky camera and maybe some cheesiness due to the text introducing the film on the official website. However, I wonder why the quality and mix of the sound was done with so little ambition. There were some sequences where the music was so loud that it was impossible to understand what the characters were saying. I guess it was also partially a mistake made by the cinema, that they did not check the volume beforehand. Still, I believe that the sound was recorded with the same lo-fi equipment as the picture which is first of all consistent with the style, but for me as the recipient not fit for viewing in a cinema. The combination of the two sometimes produced a tension and indisposition in me that was not beneficial to my experience of the movie.
Apart from the technical aspects, I also had problems with the dialogue and the way of storytelling. I was not able to sympathise with any of the protagonists, quite the contrary, I was almost constantly annoyed with their views of a relationship and social interaction in general, happening on a very low level in terms of self-reflection but with a fairly high amount of aggression and conviction (comparing the beginning of a relationship with a football (?) game), and some lofty monologues. The official synopsis introduces the film as "deeply intimate" which it might be, although not in a very convincing or "authentic" way as some of the dialogue doesn't seem naturalistic at all, to me it seemed similar to a Reality-TV style half-improvisation, although acting was not bad.
"Loneliness and desperation for meaningful human contact are big themes in this film, but so is the sweet, joyful optimism of the beginning of something new and, just maybe, beautiful." - official synopsis
I agree, loneliness and desperation for meaningful human contact are the big themes of this film, it is quite obviously the case, especially in the first part of the film where a guy from the US finally meets the woman he fell in love with online, in real life. The conflict that arises between the two is quite amusing and this is also the only part of the film that I enjoyed. But there was nothing "sweet" or "beautiful" about their fight, when she invites him to meet her family after the first date. There is a lot of swearing, he calls her a b**ch, she doesn't understand why he is upset at all, which is actually quite sad, even though I could not feel it. It might be that the complete detachment that I had towards the characters' emotions contributed to the fun I had, but for me it would have also been important to be able take the protagonist at least a little bit serious.
But in the second part, which was about a couple separating after the woman slept with another man, her ex was driving around doing random things I could not encode, was not funny at all, just confusing and over-amplified. Again, I could not connect with the characters in any way, so for me, there was nothing to be gained by staying in the cinema. I don't believe I missed anything.
With all due respect for experimenting in film and using lo-fi equipment, this was not fit for cinema and for my ears, the characters were repulsive to me. And even if the intention was to make a movie with lots of references to the internet, to videos recorded with mobile phones or other devices that produce lo-fi style picture and sound, reality-TV style dialogues that give the audience a feeling of superiority and lets them amuse themselves, looking down upon these fools that have a misconception of communication and relationships, I still don't get two things: Firstly, why then show the film to a cinema audience, why not be consequent until the end and show it to an internet or (reality-)TV audience; secondly, why make a film if there so little ambition? The themes that are treated could be important if the film was made for the audience to receive it as important, by adding some sincerity to the portrayal of the characters and their problems, and by allowing the audience to feel some empathy for them.
Some problems that arise from the use of online communication are important for the development of our society. I don't really think that this film was made just to make fun of this. Unfortunately, that's the only thing, that I think, worked in it.
Raw and real
alanakmd18 October 2019
This film has a very real and natural feel to it. It strips back the veneer we so often see in romantic hollywood movies. This is a beautiful and confronting examination of our quest for connection. Thoroughly enjoyed!
Jarring, honest, good!
jblockbuster2 October 2019
1 World 100 Lonely explores the chances we take when dating online. What actually happens if we meet this person? What efforts are we putting into this? The film itself is indie, raw, sometimes jarring and therefore excitingly real. For me, it felt true and honest, and that's what really captured my attention. Check it out for yourself!
As real as it gets
vigilant5619 October 2019
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