They Are Going Through it TOGETHER

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Stephen Daldry and Bleeker Street comes a story of a couple just trying to keep it TOGETHER.

The city of London has just learned that it is about to be lockdown due to Covid-19. Bringing in their own stockpile of toilet paper and other sundries, he (James McAvoy) begins the conversation with her (Sharon Horgan) about it all. Son Arthur (Samuel Logan), or Artie depending on which parent is talking about him, is taking it all in.

Both are thinking of their jobs as she is a refugee coordinator and responsible for helping to take care of an aging mother. He has his own business that can be done from home even though he worries about his employees. Their time together slowly brings out issues that have gone unresolved in their relationship.

As the days wear on, so do the jabs, one-liners, truths, beards, man-buns and stories of when things started to take a turn in the marriage. But also, in the months that have worn on, like with so many others, quarantining is forcing decisions to be made and hardships to be endured.

It is a day-by-day effort to find the truth about themselves.

McAvoy as He is absolutely stunning in this role. He sets up his character with the back-and-forth witty repartee with his wife instead of addressing the real issues. Well, the pandemic had other plans forcing him to come to terms with feelings he long ignored for the sake of their son. McAvoy explains his character as “he can not help but be in love with her. His performance is flawless, his long talks with the audience are filled with everything you need to know about the couple and bring a mixture of sadness and a few chuckles. These two people are inextricably enmeshed. How they feel about each other is so tangible, so intense, funny, surprising, hateful, compassionate, caring and utterly transformative at times.”

Horgan as She lets the words fly out as easily as her husband. Filled with wit and, at times, dripping with distain, she gives as good as she gets. That does not mean their history has gone without damage and She is not about to let her voice be silenced. In the mix of that is the pain of loss on so many levels and Horgan lets us feel it along with her. Horgan says of her character, “It was not as hard as I feared to find the anguish. In a way, we were reliving parts of our own lives through those characters, and it was all there for the taking. There were not many moments where I was worried, I was not going to feel the emotion. When Dennis writes, he can break your heart.”

Bleeker Street is a New York City film company that has brought outstanding films to the public. Their library includes TRUMBO, DENIAL, THE LOST CITY OF Z, BEIRUT, HOTEL MUMBAI, ORDINARY LOVE and THE ROADS NOT TAKEN. For more information on the titles from Bleeker Street please visit www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com.

Dennis Kelly wrote the screenplay for TOGETHER and says, “The heart of the story is their relationship. Many people have had similar experiences during the pandemic, but this particular couple simply cannot stand each other. I doubt they’ve really spoken in about ten years. They can’t even agree on their son’s first name. They are just not the kind of people who should be together, and lockdown is the worst thing that could possibly happen to them.”

Director Daldry says of the reality of it all, “Inevitably you go through the process of questioning yourself, your relationships, your family and the world. As we continue to emerge out of this extraordinary period of history, it seems important to commemorate the eighteen months we’ve all been through. Doing a piece about a couple that struggles to endure was a cathartic experience for me and I hope for people watching it as well.”

The extraordinary thing about the film TOGETHER is that there was ten days of rehearsal and a ten-day shoot. Because the scenes are kept within the house of the couple, we all can relate to what four walls can do. Their home is an outward view of what has been going on prior to the quarantine and it becomes even more disorganized as the couple’s emotions and feelings do.

Speaking of four walls, McAvoy has the opportunity to break that fourth wall when he invites us into the problems. Speaking directly to us, the story has the opportunity to let us see both sides of their pain and even the biting humor that has kept the couple together for so long. Talking it out there are moments where they believe it will all be okay but in reality, they need to dive deeper because that’s where they have shoved it all for years.

TOGETHER is a film that you cannot turn away from, every moment has something to say about staying together, trying to keep a family front, being totally different from one another in what they want and being forced together for an undetermined amount of time in a confined place.

Sound familiar? I love this movie.

 

In the end - no one said pandemics were easy!

 

 

 

THE SECRET: Dare to Dream

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Premium Video on Demand and director Andy Tennant and Lionsgate comes a story of family and unexpected connections with THE SECRET: Dare to Dream.

Miranda (Katie Holmes) is a widower with three children, teen daughter Missy (Sarah Hoffmeister), son Greg (Aidan Brennan) and youngest Bess (Chloe Lee). Doing everything for herself has not been easy but mother-in-law Bobby (Celia Weston) is always there with her two cents.

Dating local business owner Tucker (Jerry O'Connell) keeps the finances coming in as well as a storm that threats the town. Miranda has reason to worry as her house is in need of repairs, but she gets the kids to help hunker down for the storm. Greg does not tell his mother that there was a mysterious visitor earlier, Bray (Josh Lucas) who had an envelope for his mother.

Picking up her two daughters from school, a short argument with Missy is interrupted when Miranda smacks into the back of a truck. Immediately Bray offers to help fix the bumper and she reluctantly agrees. Imagine Bray's surprise when they return to the very spot he was just at - Miranda's home.

Fixing the bumper and an unexpected dinner, Bray has a chance to spend a little time with the family. As the storm really comes in, he leaves thanking them all. On his drive out he puts the envelope in the mailbox returning to his hotel room.

After a frightful night, Bray returns to discover all is not as it should be at the Wells home and again offers Miranda help in getting things right again. She cannot understand how a total stranger can be so kind in a world she is struggling with. Catching attention, Tucker wonders what Bray is up to as well.

As the days go by, there are revelations as to the mysterious Bray, Tuckers idea of a family and Bobby having more than two cents about it all but its Miranda that must decide what is right for all.

Holmes as Miranda plays a woman swallowed up with children, a home falling apart, not enough money to get by and trying not to get caught up in the memories of her husband. She has learned to trust no one and is not very good at accepting compliments or help. Holmes gives it the old college try and is sweet if undecisive.

O'Connell as Tucker is a businessman who happens to see a future with Miranda. He is a little uncomfortable when Bray arrives but then again - where is your chainsaw dude? Weston as Bobby is as every mother-in-law can be, full of advice that is not always what Miranda wants to hear.

Kids Lee and Brennan are adorable, inquisitive and trying to understand their mother's frustration. Of course, being kids they just want their Mom happy but not quite old enough yet to understand how difficult that can be to do as an adult. Hoffmeister starts out as the stereotypical smart mouthed, disrespectful, whiny teen (which by the way is so played out that when I see it in a film I mute it) but by the end she mellows out a bit to become a regular whiny teen.

Lucas as Bray just takes my breath away, then again, he is such a calming force on the screen. Bringing his southern swag and deep well of convictions, he is not pushy but instead just tells the Wells family what he sees in life. Of course, he has a secret and that's where things get a little dicey. I still truly enjoyed seeing him in THE SECRET: Dare to Dream.

Other cast include: Katrina Begin as Jennifer, Sydney Tennant as Sloane, Samantha Beaulieu as Charmaine, Yohance Myles as Devon, Rosemberg Salgado as Manny and Cory Scott Allen as Matt Wells.

The film is based on the best-selling book THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne. The book has sold over 30 million copies and translated into 50 language which believes in the law of attraction. It is the belief that one’s thought can change everything in a person's life.

THE SECRET: Dare to Dream is a charming film and one that families can watch together and even talk about after. There is truth in the belief that the negative power of thought can bring so much pain. I think most people would agree that there comes a time where you have to put out good vibes to get good vibes.

The film also gets into the pain a family goes through when losing a family member, for Miranda, for the kids and for Bobby. It seems they all are worried that they will forget Matt Wells and that being happy somehow would do a disservice to his memory.

It is Bray that shows them in a patient way that it is not a disservice to go but in fact a disservice not to go on. Sometimes it is hard for people to grasp that and it takes a good shaking to make that point. THE SECRET: Dare to Dream does that, it is a gentle shake to think about how short this life is and living in guilt is a waste of a gift.

In the end - your thoughts are your destiny!