It’s a film about love desired and love wasted. It’s a film about friendships and the heartbreak they can lead to. It’s a film about getting smashed while listening to your neighbors screw. No, it’s not a film about The Cure’s Robert Smith, but it does feature a cover version of “Charlotte Sometimes.” It’s Eric Byler’s new indie and it requires your immediate attention.
Michael is a mechanic who also owns a duplex, coming into both by way of family. He befriends an attractive young woman, Lori, and has her move into the duplex. Sounds like a good deal for Michael as he’s got this gorgeous young friend, who he spends a lot of time with, living in the same building as him, yet they have their own living spaces. Well, unfortunately that’s just the backstory before the film actually starts. Now onto the pain. At the beginning of “Charlotte Sometimes,” Lori is having sex with her boyfriend, who she’s met shortly after moving into the duplex, and Michael is all alone in his section of the building. Finished, she goes upstairs and hangs out with Michael, who isn’t very thrilled about the visit, as he knows what she was just up to. It’s a story unfortunately all too familiar to many people and it’s painfully, yet beautifully illustrated here.
As the film progresses, things get a little more interesting as Michael meets a mysterious girl at a bar and Lori’s boyfriend is shown to be a little ignorant towards her feelings. Put these four characters together and you’ve got yourself some good watchin’…even if this does sound too much like your past relationships with human beings that you’d rather forget.
“Charlotte Sometimes” is a very quiet film…literally…there’s a lot of whispering going on here. Not that that’s a bad thing; it fits perfectly with the film’s leisurely pace, making getting into these infectious characters all the more pleasurable. The cast is top-notch and I predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over Michael Idemoto as Michael. He’s just so dreeeeeeamy. Did I say that out loud?
“Charlotte Sometimes is an excellent break from all of the mindless drivel clogging theaters at the moment. Do it!
