Elena Undone

I was disappointed and frustrated to see that the only review of this film so far was by a woman who had the nerve to dish on a film that she walked out of after only the first 40 minutes. Seems to me that that should automatically disqualify her review and critique on that grounds alone.

My partner and I, on the other hand, stayed for the entire film, and would have quite happily stayed for a second showing if they'd decided to have one. We agreed that it was the best lesbian film that we've ever seen (and we've seen most of them that are out there).

When the reality is that most (though thankfully not all) lesbian films are mediocre at best, and embarrassingly bad at worst, "Elena Undone" sets a new standard for what lesbian films can and should be: intelligently written, well-cast and well-acted and well-directed, with natural and believable dialogue, a storyline that is actually believable, and characters that you can relate to (and may even want to be friends with), and extremely erotic scenes that still manage to be tasteful and believable. It is rare to find all of these qualities in a mainstream blockbuster feature film, and nearly impossible to find them in lesbian movies, so I was thrilled almost beyond reason to see what can be accomplished in lesbian film-making.

And then there's the astounding beauty of the two co-stars and the incredible and believable passion and eroticism of the connection that builds between them as the movie evolves. To say that this was a satisfying element of the movie would be a serious understatement... I have never been so aroused by a film, and couldn't stop thinking about it for the entire week since I've seen it. I have watched the trailer at least once a day since and am totally hooked! I am not embarrassed to admit that I have fallen hopelessly in love with this exquisite film.

I encourage every woman-loving-woman out there (and our friends and allies) to do whatever it takes to SEE THIS FILM, even if it means buying it sight-unseen (yeah, it's THAT good!) We need to create a market for more high quality lesbian films like this, and the only way to do so is to provide support to the talented filmmakers who gift us with delicious movies like this one. SEE IT -- YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Kathy Berkeley, CA

Last night at the Philly Qfest, the director of this film blamed her lesbian audience for why her film was low-budget (she says it's because "lesbians don't go to the movies...").

Low-budget doesn't explain why the narrative rhythm of her feature film was reminiscent of a deaf, dumb, and blind elementary school's band who's music teacher is conducting over the web. No pace. No rhythm. The first 30 minutes was the worst. Needs to be re-edited!!! Eventually, the film did improve significantly, and at times, was very funny. The acting was good and I appreciated the casting.

However, overall,the story itself reeked of self-indulgence and attempted to cater too much to the real life back story of its filmmakers at the expense of developing an authentic narrative that could breathe on its own. So much of this film simply needed to be re-edited. The psychic guru guy... I understand his character and finally got around to liking him but he needs a completely revised introduction into the script. It simply doesn't work.

One thing I didn't understand was the wardrobe of the lesbian protagonist's character. The story seemed to be set in 2010 but her wardrobe was very 1990's. The actor didn't look comfortable in those clothes. Again, was this artistic detail (e.g. wardrobe) catering to the integrity of the autobiographical story over the authenticity of its recreation?

Oh, and about that long kiss....it was long. Too long. Sadly, it looked too staged and indulgent to the filmmakers rather than seeming authentic to the actual characters. It's nice when art has the potential to imitate life but it has to happen naturally. It can't just happen for it's own sake.

Lastly, a low-budget breeds creativity. I liked what was done with inserting the "real life" stories of heterosexual lovers. It was a nice touch which has been successfully executed in other films but in this film, it didn't fit in seamlessly. I've never seen such careless editing and loose story structure with all the flashbacks, and side stories, and voice-overs. More time was needed to tighten up this film. The acting itself would make it worth seeing again if it was re-edited.

I cannot express enough how much I absolutely LOVED this movie. I originally found it when i was streaming for LGBT movies on Netflix which i like to watch when i have some downtime. I've seen plenty of movies so far,most are boring before they get interesting, but 'Elena Undone' captured my attention after watching up to 15 minutes of the movie.At first i thought it was some type of documented movie which i cannot stand. But I gave it chance and was blown away. I've seen the movie at least 9 times in the last 4 days and thats due to watching the movie twice one after another. The whole story line just makes you want to fall in love, and feel the love that that actresses felt in the movie. The passion and emotions that are portrayed just make you smile and feel so wrapped up in love. If you're someone who has been in love, or knows what it feels like to have someone who you cannot stop thinking about constantly should be able to relate to this movie. I really wish this movie was a lot more popular than it is because this movie DESERVES the attention. Necar Zadegan and Traci Dinwiddie are amazing actresses and each played their characters to the max. I couldn't ask for more. Nicole Conn is an amazing Writer/Director and i praise her work. It is phenomenal. This is a MUST-SEE Movie!

I did not like the presentation of the husband. He just didn't work as a conservative pastor or as a man. That said I thought that every other thing resonated with truth.

One aspect of love and affairs that rarely gets attention is the feelings of the third party. Peyton in this film gets to have the range of emotion, loving the individual , not knowing where exactly they fit in, not knowing when or if they will get to share their love in the open. It tears at the soul, it sows doubt and Nicole Conn gives us an inspection of that part of love, that pain. We also get the pain and doubt and confusion of the person who wasn't looking for love, but found it none the less.

It is a thoughtful film, it is a romantic film. It has some of the most sensuous love scenes that I can recall and yet nothing explicit enough to actually offend any but those who are predisposed to offence. You could watch this with your adult children and not be embarrassed.

To start out I'm going to say that Nicole Conn makes films about romance. If you've seen her other works (not counting the documentary about her son) I think it's clear that she is not going for the more edgy drama or romantic comedy she's trying for and I quote the film "the romance in love." That being said, I think this is her best dramatic feature yet. Budget with independent film, particularly lesbian or gay themed films, is always an issue which is why I think a lot of the time we get films that look like they were shot on a Sony handicam and have lead actors with about as much acting talent as a junior high drama club. I have to applaud the production team for being able to get the caliber of people that they did to make this film. The leads are stunning and have a very natural chemistry between them plus they can act! The camera work is good and the set designs were natural and realistic to the characters. There are other things in the film that aren't particularly noteworthy like the wardrobe and soundtrack but again I think those things are more of a budget thing. Okay yes the story does fall flat in certain spots and the rhythm does seem to shift in the second half of the film and yes there are some flaws in the editing (most of which I only noticed after watching my DVD about 10 times), but overall this is one of the better lesbian themed films out there. Again this film is not going to appeal to everyone, but to me this film does exactly what I think it promises which is to show you the romance in love. Hope this helps.