 I Shout Love (2001) Everyone who's had a deep relationship will have been through these moments, and probably even this sort of breakup. It's painful enough to live through it, but it's simply irritating to watch a couple of student-film-caliber actors reenact it. Were it done with any particular insight or universality, perhaps I Shout Love would be a bittersweet little gem. But frankly, I've seen several music videos that cover the territory with more emotion and brevity. It doesn't help matters that the female character is a complete psychotic—exactly the sort of "quirky," self-absorbed drama queen that I have had an unfortunate knack for attracting myself—or that the actress portraying her is either too successfully convincing in the role, or simply a hideous psychotic herself. Nor does it help that the male lead is bereft of any charisma that would enable you to see why this woman would even care that he was leaving, or what his motivation is in going along with his girlfriend's miserable little scheme. What really sinks the film is that instead of capturing some kind of ambiguous, beautifully hurting truth about heartbreak (as with, say, Lost in Translation), I Shout Love simply chronicles the insipid neediness of a failing relationship, with the same excruciating banality and cliché of the real thing. No thanks. Should it be a mark in the film's favor that it's realistic? Perhaps. And I will say, at least, that it's shot competently. But if someone's going to try to make a breakup movie, they better damn well have something more to say about the subject than "Breaking up is painful, but in another way, hopeful." Yuck! When I saw that this piece of shit was directed by Sarah Polley, I was tempted to try to find some value in it. Instead, I decided to shift from vaguely liking Sarah Polley to entirely distrusting her. Fuck you, Canada!
Review by La Fée |
