Much like the Neil Labute indies, “Television Love” is an insanely misanthropic and brutally mean-spirited film, but unlike Labute’s films “Television Love” never really has a point to it other than to exploit its cynical story. “Television Love” could very well be the antipathy towards love and relationships. It’s simply the story of a loser named Lukasz who builds a fascination with a girl named Luiza. She’s your usual type who flirts with Lukasz, exchanges glances, accepts gifts, and then proceeds to royally dump him when he’s given the hint that she may like him. Lukasz further makes a fool of himself going on a talk show to profess his love only to be made to look a fool in the grand scheme of national television.
Banaszeck attempts to show Lukasz as a lovelorn victim, but really he’s a loser who just can’t take a hint and is led on by a royal c**t, while Luiza ends up as one passive aggressive tease who leads him on and pulls back much to her own amusement. And, then when the story really has nowhere else to go, sinking down deeper and deeper in to this misogyny, the climax really takes the easy way out with a plot device that ultimately feels way too trite and made up of fictional conventions to be believed. “Television Love” really just digs itself in a hole creatively and can never seem to find its way out.
