Separation City (Joel Edgerton, Rhona Mitra) : Movie Review
March 3, 2010 by Jess Lomas
Filed under Movie Reviews, Movies
With the tagline : “It only takes one prick” the humble New Zealand comedy drama, Separation City, delivers an enjoyable and somewhat realistic depiction of love and marriage, and what happens when you let the “little head” rule over the big head.
We meet Simon (Joel Edgerton) and Pam (Danielle Cormack) on their wedding day, when they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Flash forward several years and the couple are set up in a more than modest home by the ocean; they have two young children, a close knit group of friends appropriately named ‘the Family Group’ and a pretty much non-existent sex life.
Pam’s friend Katrien (Rhona Mitra) has recently separated from her husband after walking in on him in bed with another woman and it’s not long before she starts to have feelings for Simon.
Separation City : Can It Compete with Avatar?
On the sidelines we have some pretty weak supporting characters, ranging from a married woman who’s decided she’s a lesbian, to a fire-fighter and member of the men’s support group who occasionally hits his wife in moments of rage, a boss who can’t stop looking at his female employee’s breasts and Simon’s best friend, Harry (Les Hill), who should give up his day job as a journalist and become a comedy writer, because almost every line he delivers should be followed by a boom-tish from a drum.
Whilst the characters lack any real depth they are entirely amusing and it’s not hard to get caught up in and entertained by their wild antics and snappy dialogue.
Trouble begins when Simon and Katrien admit their mutual feelings for one another, and after several failed, but hilarious, attempts to consummate those feelings the film climaxes with a trip to Berlin. There’s a lot of ground covered here, all sorts of relationships are shown along with the troubles that plague them, I suppose you could say there’s something for everyone!
Throughout the film we hear both Simon and Katrien’s internal monologues, a device that sometimes works while at other times merely distracts from the action. It may all seem a bit too stereotypical at first glance, the tired idea of the decline in sex the longer a couple are together and the generalisation of men versus women, but writer Tom Scott and director Paul Middleditch have essentially created a balanced film.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ
Essentially there is no buzz for this film – what with Avatar still king of the box office and Alice in Wonderland about to open, Separation City is waiting patiently for people to discover it. It’s a fun film, and one that’s definitely worth seeking out.
There’s the right amount of heart and laughs and if you’re after a realistic representation of modern relationships, no Valentine’s Day doesn’t count, then I highly recommend this little gem.
WATCH OUT FOR
One of the funniest scenes in the film, all I can say is it takes place during a meeting at Simon’s work and involves a hidden prophylactic. Cue the laughs.
WATCH OUT FOR | RATING : 3.5 / 5
