#embrace again

While the film is officially classed as a romantic comedy here, likely to appear to be somewhere in the same vein as Love Actually, it’s not that. The topic of love and romance is certainly present in the storylines, but they are not in focus as much as community is. As for how much of it is a comedy, while there are certainly chuckle-worthy moments, this is more or less a film that requires waterproof eye makeup. And tissues. Many many tissues. I don’t want to dive deep into the plot, as spoilers would definitely detract from the experience of watching this film, but suffice it to say that while the general feeling of it is one of heart-warming tenderness, it also dishes out micro and macro tragedies. 

If you ask me what I thought the strength of the film was, I would point out how beautifully detailed all the characterisations are. The script delivers strong dialogue, pacing character development in the most effective way for every single main player; there is wonderful attention to detail when it comes to creating those people, from styling, to sets, to direction for individual scenes. As you watch the film you genuinely feel like you get to know those people: their strengths, weaknesses, values, all the little things that make them real and flawed. It was so lovely and refreshing to see a film where people just… look like people. Performances are very strong across the board, too, so much so that I would struggle to single out any particular cast member in order to praise them. 

There are however aspects to the visual storytelling of the movie which did not always work for me. I can understand a certain level of pathos that would accompany a film such as this, but there were a few individual scenes at the later part of it which felt incredibly ungraceful compared to the quiet low-key nuance most of the film shows. 

That said, my main complaint, once again, has to do with the way the story is structured.  I really do wish that the tapestry of all of those individual narratives was woven a little tighter, and more evenly paced between the storylines. As it happens, the focus remains squarely on the two delivery drivers, leaving narratives with the least connection to them, beautiful thought they were, feeling somewhat tagged-on. I liked that they were all introduced on the same day, that being first day of lockdown (coinciding with the New Year) for them all, having a clear point where they unwittingly cross paths, but even that lacked certain consistency. Considering how much elegance the character narratives were handled individually, I really wish they the film was more tightly structured as a whole.

All in all, and despite my criticism, I did enjoy this film a great deal. It made me very pensive, and I keep returning mentally to this or that scene that touched me. This film really is a kaleidoscope of deeply moving moments. 

I don’t think there is anyone out there whose life was not affected by the pandemic; we are probably going to live with this collective trauma for a very long time, and Embrace Again offers a wonderfully cathartic way of processing some of that. 

P.S.