Last weekend I had the pleasure of viewing this great film. Like Crazy, directed by Drake Doremus, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and picked up The Grand Jury Prize for Drama and a Special Jury Prize for Drama was presented to lead actress Felicity Jones, and it's easy to see why once this film has been viewed. It's a bittersweet tale, plagued with the harsh reality of the difficulty of long distance relationships.
The film is said to based on one of Doremus' previous relationships and the harsh reality seeps through in the film. This is no chick flick. It's a romantic tale which is destroyed by distance. Anna is a british girl in America on a student Visa and who just happens to fall for American student, Jacob. When Anna violates her Visa and overstays her trip, the couple run into the difficulties of trying to sustain a long distance relationship. The film is almost a criticism on the Visa system which keeps the couple apart for long periods of time, deconstructing their relationship.
The performances in this film are fabulous and it's no wonder Felicity Jones was awarded Best Actress at Sundance. Herself and Anton Yelchin play Jacob and Anna, respectively, and are one of the main reasons for the believability of the film. Performances all round are fantastic especially by the lead actors as well as Alex Kingston (who plays Anna's mother) and Academy Award Nominee, Jennifer Lawrence.
The use of hand held camera would be a factor that I though would initially annoy me, but in the use of it in this film justs adds to the reality of the situation, which is definitely not smooth sailing. The beginning of the film is surrounded by warm colours but as the relationship progresses and they spend more time apart, the colours become colder and colder. I didn't realise this until the end of the film but it's a technique that really lends itself to the effectiveness of the film, especially in the final shot of the film which resonated in my mind for hours after the end of the movie and really solidified the harsh reality of the situation that Anna and Jacob found themselves in.
Like Crazy is definitely a film that deserved its Sundance awards and I could see it easily becoming one of my favourite films and watching it on a rainy night, wrapped up in my blanket as I cry into a tub of chocolate ice-cream.
4.5/5
- Cassie
Watch if you like: Blue Valentine (2012); The Notebook (2005); (500) Days of Summer (2009); Lost In Translation (2003)
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