Distancing
Written and directed by Arka Gupta
Globe Theatre
Saturday, April 10
Reviewed by Damian Thorne
I like to think I give away a small morsel of myself in each of my reviews, the similarities I may find, or the bell situations ring for me. Arka Gupta has crafted two short films that both deal with mental health – something I deal with everyday via a finely tuned cocktail of pharmaceuticals.
First up on the big screen in Globe Theatre 2 - yes, I find myself here again watching movies while actual cinemas sit empty - is Udiyoman, or Emerging. Sole actor Sam Wyss bravely allows extreme close-ups throughout the film and runs a gambit of emotions without uttering a word.
It is impressive storytelling when dialogue is exited and a tale is told using expression, clever camera work including bold edits, and a powerful score by Tommy Whitehouse. Gupta's protagonist leaves behind an everyday life of turmoil and escapes to the woods, featuring Tarantino-length driving sequences and a quote by Henry David Thoreau voiced over as Wyss's character looks forward into something more positive. Or does he?
The main feature, Distancing, is less thoughtful and more confronting as talented Cam Dickons juggles a wife, a girlfriend and Covid-19 at the start of the 2020 lockdown.
Oddly, Gupta draws comparison with this film and 2009's 500 Days of Summer. Where 500 Days is a lightweight quirky rom-com with an outstanding soundtrack, Distancing is a mean-spirited melodrama, with plenty more driving, illegal parking, views of the Esplanade and little in the way of redeeming qualities.