Dave Snyder’s “Yeah No Definitely” is a thought provoking and bittersweet drama about the male dynamic and the inherent misery behind repressed emotions hidden amid layers of tragedy. Snyder’s film is a drama in the vein of a Noah Baumbach tale, setting down on the friendship between the co-dependent Cam, and the independent Kiff, who is looking for a new direction in his life when he gets involved with a new group of friends one weekend at a country house for a party. What Cam discovers in the midst of pot-smoking and mingling is that he is in love with Kiff, and may never be able to face, or admit, it. Snyder never overtly states the hidden emotions Cam is bearing, which adds a good element of ambiguity that the director admits is purposeful (on his website), but the actions speak louder than words when he seeks to interrupt Kiff’s attempts at wooing the pretty Nadia, and disrupts the party in a drunken stupor.
The moments detailing Kiff’s appeal matched with Cam’s far-away glances of jealousy and longing are rather brilliant, with apparently improvised scenes, followed by the impending confession that may bring a better understanding between the two men, or destroy anything they’ve built. Damned if Cam will ever brave the confession and own up to what he’s feeling, Snyder also poses the possibility that Cam’s feelings of love are based more around Kiff’s support through the tragic loss of Cam’s mother, looking through the eyes of a man who simply can’t express how he feels about his best friend.
The performances by Vincent Piazza and Alan Barnes Netherton are strong with a chemistry and realism that keeps their characters down to Earth and compelling. The climax isn’t as dramatic as Snyder builds his story up towards, but the quiet subtlety makes more waves about the unresolved storyline than any monologues can ever hope to aspire towards.
