Carving a Life

In their latest piece, director Terry Ross and writer Lisa Bruhn present a young couple navigating the trials of adult life as they work to sort out their own baggage and plan for a future neither was quite expecting. Aside from the meet cute and the romantic opening act, most of the film depicts a rather toxic relationship (largely at the expense of Lauren and due to the actions of the alcoholic Mitch) to - sadly, perhaps - much success. The filmmakers have clearly experienced similar relationships and imbue their characters with authenticity throughout. As such, at times it feels like this couple should just part ways, but the spark between them makes it hard to not root for them to sort things out. By the end of it all, you can't help feeling that this is true life and that every relationship has it's problems to work through, some more intense than others. Sure it would be much easier to run away, but do you lose more than you gain by doing so? "A Carving Life" examines this question and offers some input, but ultimately leaves viewers with much to think on after the credits finish.