Welsh actor Tom Cullen (Weekend, Downton Abbey) writes and directs this nonlinear romantic drama, which stars his real-life partner, Tatiana Maslany (of BBC America’s Orphan Black). Jenna (Maslany) and Leon (Jay Duplass) are North American expats living in Wales; the film charts the ups and downs of their six-year relationship, shuffling its chronology but returning on repeat occasions to the night they met. She’s a film producer, he’s a DJ/photographer; they amble through parks and attend dinner parties, have topical discussions about the power dynamics of open relationships and whether Jenna would be a good mother. Your response to their world will dictate your feelings about the film.
Cullen creates opportunities for his characters to discuss gender politics, ambition and insecurity, but these tangled conversations feel abstract. The semi-improvisational dialogue is more believable in scenes that focus on the chemistry between Jenna and Leon.
There are other things to admire. The way Cullen shifts the aspect ratio to reflect the relationship’s changes is clever, the frame widening and opening out as the relationship wanes and the space between the couple expands. And Maslany is magnetic, her coiled fury and sexual energy threatening to erupt as her placid partner plods along beside her.
