A beautifully shot story about a distressing and scary situation: Donna is the story of a very real world we live in where sometimes those we love hurt us in ways we never imagined.
The pacing was a bit too fast for me to feel any sort of connection between the characters of Donna & Nick. The script was also a bit rough, but the cinematography was beautiful. Some directional choices felt a bit off, but overall it's a movie with a clear message. I wish it would have started with the illusion of a Rom-Com and have us as the audience feel this relationship being more authentic, genuine, and something to root for. I feel as though I would have loved this movie had we been able almost to be put in Donna's shoes throughout the experience of falling in love with Nick and ultimately realizing that her marriage has become something very toxic and abusive. I wanted to root for her to have this love, and then when it got bad, I wanted to root for her to get out because she knew her worth and deserved real love. I would have loved to see all these little date montages as real fleshed-out scenes that offer insight into the blossoming love before us. The relationship felt rushed, and I wish we could have had a chance to 1. Support this budding relationship between Donna & Nick 2. Notice all the red flags from Nick and have us think, "oh wait, this isn't healthy or okay" 3. Cheer my girl Donna on as she leaves him.
Things sort of happened so fast with very little cohesion to the narrative. For example, this scene where Donna's toddler scribbles on Nick's work should have led to understanding why he goes out to the bar and flirts with the other girls. Honestly, this may be more of a problem with the editing than with the story. So many scenes felt misplaced and added to this feeling that things are just happening, and that's it. (No yeah, I really blame the editing for causing a lot of confusion on what is happening in this film) Also, these time jumps sort of took me out because what did we accomplish before then? Major story beats felt like they were cut down to minimal moments that could have been used to humanize these characters. I want to know Donna and be inside her head as well as feel the motions of the type of toll that this takes on a person.
All this stuff with Donna as a child witnessing her own parent's unhappy marriage and the unhappy marriage demonstrated by Nick's parents should have been more impactful to Donna as a character, but it all got lost in translation. There are so many pieces to this film that could have felt so much more powerful, and it leaves me wanting almost to restructure this whole thing. Nick's mother is a character that I felt super interested in because she herself is a victim of abuse, and watching her face Donna as she is going through her own abuse at the hands of her son captivated my attention. It is probably the most interesting aspect of this entire film. Not only that, but I also wanted more of a deep dive into the interpersonal relationship between Nick & his children because I feel like this overall theme of domestic violence within families could have been expanded.
As a nobody-screenwriting student, I feel like the story should have gone.; Donna meets Nick, and they fall in love. We want them to be happy together, and then they are married. YAY, love wins! Oh, wait, no, Nick is lowkey becoming a jerk; oh man, he also has temperament issues. Donna realizes this marriage with Nick is no longer love-filled, and this isn't the same man that she and the audience fell in love with; she struggles to realize she needs to get out of this because, as awful as it is, she loved this guy. The big climax is when Donna comes to the heartbreaking realization that this relationship is not worth saving because she deserves absolute love, as do her children. She feels trapped, yet she knows she needs to leave. Add some real struggles (external & internal) because this is REAL... these sorts of relationships exist, and we need to know that. BOOM Donna leaves him, yet that on its own comes with its hardships regarding being her support system as well as one for her kids.
I truly and wholeheartedly appreciate what this film is trying to do, and the message is vital, although the execution of this story left me a bit unsatisfied. The potential was definitely there, but it fell short for me. None of the relationships felt authentic. BUT I will say I loved Donna's friend; she gave this her all, and I can only respect her for it. That gal is definitely part of my dream blunt rotation.
Aw, the little ending with real Donna did touch my heart. Sending out nothing but love for that lady 💗 All she spoke about at the end was so powerful, and I wish the film would have done her words much more justice.
