South Mountain

Lila thought that she and edgar (talia balsam and scott cohen) had the perfect life living in the country. When lila learns that edgar's other girlfriend is having a baby by him, her world is turned upside down. Takes things to the extreme. But they still like each other. Kind of. Great chemistry between lila and edgar, in spite of what has occurred between them. In spite of edgar's weaknesses. Female nudity in the sauna. It's a little spacey... ethereal. Lots of woodsy, nature scenes. Sadly, no locations listed yet. It's an interesting story. On the roku streaming channel. Written and directed by hilary brougher. This has the feel of being someone's actual story. Talia balsam is the daughter of marty balsam; he was in so many huge films. Talia was married to clooney and john slattery. Interesting hollywood backstory. I liked it. Good stuff.

This is the story of a doormat wife and her husband who can't keep it in his pants. There are several teenagers running about who are as dull as the adult characters. Occasionally we see closeups of various insects. Several characters move in and out of the residence in the Catskills. A room gets painted. That's about it. Could be great for those suffering from insomnia. Absolutely one of the most pointless movies I've seen.

I initially thought this was about poor white trash people living a somewhat sub-standard existence in the Catskills. -But as I moved into the storyline? It had some sharp turns from the friend/neighbor with illness, to the lesbian daughter and of course, the plot of a man whose seems to be a repeated wife cheater. It seemed most plausible since the story initiated with us meeting the "Mrs" who looked like a bonafide hag and clearly, had a low opinion of herself or she wouldn't allow herself to look incredibly slovenly, "artist" or not (one wonders if she even brushed her teeth!) I thought the acting of our mainline couple was okay but nothing stellar. The story was an old one but a totally clumsy one in that the husband's cheating was less than a surprise and he "went for" one very "plain-jane-dame", which leads us to realize it was more than just sex that he was interested in, yet uninterested in "fixing" his marriage. The plot was a little slow to unfold for me and I wanted to speed it up. The wife taking up with the young "boyfriend"? Well really now; vengeful and tacky. -So while the story was convincing, its appalling to see people not only live, dress and act so sloppily, but with an attitude of cavalierness in a very real sense under the circumstances, that this is an "everyday" happenstance.

I loved everything about this film. My partner and I stopped it 1/2 dozen times to discuss what was happening and relate it to our own views on marriage and fidelity. I'm in shock at the lack of audience and discussion about it. Not sure how long it's been available to stream but I really hope it gets the attention it deserves. I feel like it was written about me. I knew what the main character was going through. Breaks ups are torturous- the resentment, anger, jealousy, and back and forth attempts at acceptance and grace are so relatable. I've been there in all of the significant relationships I've had. The acting and directing was superb. So much was said and felt even when there was little dialogue. I loved the vibe and setting. There is very little to be critical about.

There were hints of what this could have been, instead it was disappointing, they didn't pull on any of the threads of potential. I love a movie that can make magic of the mundane, can perfectly demonstrate the beautiful tragedies & joys of the average human experience and relationships. This was the it, this was just dull.