Tyne Stewart isn’t always as believable as the snotty and shallow Kirsty. But there is a reason for it, and once revealed, it proves she had one of the trickier roles of the lot. She pulls it off reasonably well. Alice Mulholland gives a very sympathetic and even heartbreaking performance, whose confusion is palpable. Sophie Atkisson imbues the host of the show with that sunny, peppy deposition that charms so well on TV. But, it is seemingly forced, and watching the facade slowing chip away is fun.
But not everything about Lonely Hearts works. The audio mixing is all over the place, with some scenes sounding perfectly fine. While in others, the footsteps or the wind blowing in the background is far too loud. It is annoying and can take the viewer out of the movie for a brief moment or two.
“…Rusty Apper’s absolutely amazing, memorable, and haunting score…”
Some of the challenges don’t totally work either. Essentially, these are time wasters, designed to distract the players. But the rules are a bit vague, as are how the uneven number of participants are divided into teams. It makes the illusion of the reality show hard to swallow entirely, but in the end, the film has other intentions, so this is not a major setback.
Lonely Hearts is not flawless, as the sound design needs to be reworked, and the challenges are in need of expansion. But, Jessica Hunt and Sam Mason-Bell have succeeded in creating a very amusing, dark film whose tonal switches work. The plot revolves around several interesting people. All brought to life by an excellent cast. Add in the remarkable and atmospheric score, and you’ve got yourself one compelling and exciting movie.
"…a brilliant tagline—'Date. Mate. Eviscerate.'"
