SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021 REVIEW! You Wouldn’t Understand opens on a countryside picnic with a lone man (Anthony Arkin) taking in the finer things in life – good food, wine, and a book – with classical music playing as the soundtrack to his life of luxury. While enjoying his leisure, a stranger (Jacob A. Ware) approaches him, requesting horseradish for “the hundreds” of people at his picnic nearby. Things take a turn for the bizarre and sci-fi as our lone man is thrust into the unknown in this stylish short comedy.
“…requesting horseradish for ‘the hundreds’ of people at his picnic nearby.”
Co-writer and director Trish Harnetiaux infectiously entertains in a quirky, artistic style throughout. The film specializes in the strange and at no point takes the action on screen too seriously. It’s silly and ridiculous, yet it remains mesmerizing to the very end. The twist comes out of nowhere. The more You Wouldn’t Understand commits to the sudden sci-fi premise, the more the movie shines as an outright absurdist comedy.
My experience watching You Wouldn’t Understand was absolutely delightful. While the opening is admittedly slow, it surprises the audience with a sudden intensity. The initial pace sets up the beautiful confusion at the end. I would love to see more from this story out of honest curiosity. I’m not sure where else the story could take us; the possibilities are limitless yet doomed to fall short of what is currently presented. Regardless, I am fascinated to see what writers Trish Harnetiaux and Jacob A. Ware will do after this wonderfully whimsical movie.
You Wouldn’t Understand screened at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
"…silly and ridiculous, yet it remains mesmerizing to the very end."
