Save Yourself

As I continue down an Allen C. Gardner rabbit hole, here, in his sixth writing effort (on his way to make the film that put him on my streaming radar, the pretty fine Cold Feet) he takes it back to square one, if you will, of his first film . . . Act One: keeping it simple and to the point with a small cast and not to many set ups to keep down the budget. That, however, in no way diminishes the film is well-shot and directed.

In this throwback to the Miramax/Fox Searchlight '90s, we have a simple, yet effective character study about Jason: an actor coming to grips with his own maturity. The catalyst of his personal growth is the no B. S Amy (Kelsey Gunn): a burnt-out A&R record executive.

After meeting at a house party via Jason's lame, called-out pick-up by Amy, each come to examine their place in the arts and the hardships that face both actors and musicians. If you've struggled in either profession, you'll relate to the characters and the story.

This is a deceptively simple film: basically just a long conversation. But the characters are well fleshed-out and the actors manage somehow to deliver their lines as if they're not lines. The scenarios are almost painfully realistic, utterly without romantic silver-lining storytelling; if you've got at least two decades under your belt, you'll have lived many of them yourself.

The direction is just razor-sharp, entirely free of big dramatic flourishes. As the interlocutors banter and fence, the depth of the subjects they're broaching is telegraphed in the briefest breaking of eye contact, the smallest alteration of vocal tone. By the end of the film you know these people intimately, as they've come to know each other.

It's worth watching just to marvel at its documentary feel, but you'll come away with some powerful insights into your own past as well. An amazing feat of "little" filmmaking.

At its best, the movie is characterized by a certain measure of wit and repartee as chief characters Jason and Amy talk with forthright honesty. In that regard, 'Save yourself' sometimes feels like a Joe Swanberg film, written with a loose narrative structure that allows his actors to feel out their characters and advance the dialogue as they will. I'm not saying that Allen C. Gardner fashioned this the same way, but it carries itself with a similar air. It helps that Gardner himself, portraying Jason, and Kelsey Gunn, depicting Amy, comport themselves with a mildly awkward, open ease in front of the camera that furthers the realist air of an unexpectedly involved conversation with a stranger. Just like such a real-life discussion, the movie lags a little in those instances where either character's lines develop into almost more of a monologue in detailing their history. To be fair, I suppose that back-and-forth is not unlike actual dating. All this is to say: 'Save yourself' presents itself as a very direct, earnest conversation between a man and a woman, a slice of life captured on film, and it rather succeeds in that aim.

The other side of that coin is that without a more dynamic plot, the picture could all too easily come across as a whole lot of nothing. By all means, viewers with very specific personal tastes may be turned off, lest this is exactly up your alley. 'Save yourself' is the sort of movie that's best suited for those receptive to all the wide variety that cinema has to offer. For my part, I do think it's mildly refreshing: all the hallmarks of dialogue and story beats we'd get in other comedies, dramas, or comedy-dramas with a romantic element, condensed into 73 minutes of plainspoken truthfulness. At one point or another there are kernels of the conversation that I think are surely relatable for most anyone, and to me it's softly engaging in its own right.

Simple and straightforward as the premise is, and its realization, there's plentiful room in the characters, and in the hands-off scene writing, for Gardner and Gunn to demonstrate nuance, sincerity, and heart in their stripped-down performances. I admit that I'm biased, having adored Gunn in her time with Internet comedy troupe 5secondfilms (please note the 5sf DVDs we see in passing when there are a few minutes left in the runtime), but she's uniquely charming in embodying Amy's slight posturing - and Gardner, I should say, comes off as laidback and amiable. Bare-bones as the production is, Gardner shows a keen eye for shot composition at times. Lighting and cinematography seems a little uneven, a tad harsh so as to appear unpolished, though by the same token, it's undeniably crisp. As a side note, without anyone specifically credited for contributions of hair and makeup, I can only assume that Gunn did her own - and, honey, you look fantastic!

Pointedly subdued and unembellished, refusing any hooks or twists or even much of a narrative at all, 'Save yourself' will not likely appeal to a great many viewers. All these qualities also make it feel wonderfully genuine, however, and a bit of a breath of fresh air compared to countless other romantic dramas or comedies. I won't begrudge anyone who takes a look at what the feature represents and decides it's not for them - but for anyone willing to meaningfully engage with it, this is a tiny delight.

The story was slow. The acting was fine. The only thing was that amazon had it rated as 13+ but with the amount of f-bombs there were, it should have been rated R or 17+. If I had to guess how many times it was used I would guess more than 50.

I like these kinds of one big conversation movies. If you don't then consider yourself warned. The acting doesn't feel like acting at all. They seem so real. The writing is excellent. I highly recommend this film it's so unique and will seek out the directors other film.