Lemon

This was the opening film of the Rotterdam film festival 2017 (iffr.com), and as such may give rise to expectations of something remarkable or otherwise special. Alas, I cannot think of many positive remarks about this film. Several people around me had a lot of laughs throughout the running time, but I had mostly trouble to produce even a tiny smile. Maybe I'm embarrassed seeing a definite loser on a definitely downhill path, where everything he does fails on him. And it would certainly have helped when Isaac had only been just a tiny bit of sympathetic. Now it is all just sad, nothing humorous about it. I know that many people delight (schadenfreude) in the suffering of others, but I'm not one of those. (Counter example: I love all the Ulrich Seidl movies, where you also find yourself embarrassed while watching, wondering whether you can stand it much longer. Nevertheless, I always endure to the end and even watch these movies more than once. Best example: his Paradise trilogy, especially Paradise: Love.) Anyway, apart from me the audience was not happy with this movie either, as it ranked a lowly 158th (out of 172) place for the audience award.

There were some links between Isaac's life at home and the acting classes (like the "I I I" that offended his girlfriend in an early scene). Are these classes an artificial construct, introduced by the film makers, in order to make a point?? (If yes, I missed it.) Or is it just a means to humiliate others or to showcase his own shortcomings?? (Partly, see next paragraph.)

The final Q&A clarified several things. For example: this movie resembles the lives of the film makers, feeling out of place (black, Jewish, etc), and it resembles their personalities too. There was a question about music and composer, but the answer escaped me. There was a very valid question about acting classes, coming down to: are they really that way?? The answer was that teachers are very abusive and impulsive as a rule. They can quit class and run out, or behave otherwise very crazy. There was a question about the family reunion, whether it was for real?? The answer was that a comedy can make sweet what is shown on screen. It is something not happening to you, so you can feel good in spite of it, like feeling less lonely. Lastly, the Q&A clarified the title of the film: Lemon stands for a lame person or thing, or something useless or crappy. As the film makers explained, that meaning of the word is obvious to all native English speakers.

Finally, a positive remark, in spite of everything: in the closing scene where Isaac's car is taken away to a garage or more probably a scrap yard (Isaac: "it just died on me"), we see the final credits roll by. For that reason these credits seemed not overly long, unlike the feeling I have with other movies. I've the impression that credits become longer every day, exhaustively mentioning even the smallest contribution in full (catering, chauffeur, and so on). It can be that this all is necessary in the context of financing the project, but it borders on annoying and only forces you to grab a flashlight and leave the venue before the lights get on.

This is a great dramedy, in the sense that it actually is very funny and has some emotional moments too. I love the main actor (his work in Fleabag is great, but he's fully on display here). The concept of the film is a little dark, but really gets to the emotional core of being rejected. Love the supporting cast as well - def a recommend for this little-seen gem.

I know this movie isn't for everyone, but it appears that many negative reviews are the result of people not being able to empathize and have compassion for the main character, rather than being focused on any specific qualities of the movie. While it is understandable that you might have a negative reaction to this dark, witty portrait of a very troubled man, it is a shame that so many will be turned off by the generalizations and surface complaints in many of the negative reviews and never have a chance to experience something different. And Lemon is different.

This is a movie about Isaac, played perfectly by Brett Gelman, who compulsively turns off everyone around him. He is obnoxious. He is self-centered. He has no "people" skills. Yet, he is trying. And that is the thread that ties the movie together. We witness a never-ending series of Isaac's attempts to connect with his girlfriend, who dumps him, and with the people he teaches in his theater class, and with a commercial director hilariously played in a cameo by Megan Mullally, and with a new love interest. There are excruciating scenes demonstrating Isaac's awkwardness in every situation, but the actor and the director, Janicza Bravo particularly mine the differences (real and imagined) between Isaac's eccentric white, Jewish family and his new love interest's African American family for some dry humor.

Throughout the movie, while it is exasperating at times to see Isaac ruin his relationships with his dysfunctional and at times even hostile behavior toward others, Gelman admirably gives Isaac a crucial likability, nonetheless, that keeps us hoping he will succeed at something, and with someone, and gives Isaac the humanity that gives some of us the empathy to understand that he is not evil - he's just a mess, emotionally and physically. This is a rare movie experience, albeit an often uncomfortable one. However, it is a real achievement that there is a lot of dark humor to smile about, and a lot of creative, realistic dialog that propels the story and makes us know and understand Isaac and the other characters enough to care about them. It was a pleasure to see this movie, and I hope there is a lot more to come from Bravo and Gelman, who are married in real life.

Little bit of strange, that this has comedy genre attached to it, when there is really nothing funny about this movie. Awkward - sure, stupid - maybe, but funny? Not really. It's mostly just a character study of a sociopath, but it fails at that too, since towards the end, you don't really know that much more about the main character as you knew in the beginning.

I still kinda liked the movie, I think if you are able to enjoy movies about sociopaths like for example "The Fanatic" , then you'll be able to enjoy this one too.

I watched it tonight. Glad I stayed with it. Enjoyed the characters, cast and soundtrack and it's not your high dollar Hollywood film.

My only criticisms are the slow pace and not a lot of character back story. But, hey, I know what I like.