And While We Were Here

This film had so much potential but went nowhere with an emotionless lead and shallow supporting cast.

There is little to appreciate in this tale of a self-centered married woman taking selfish decisions and doing nothing to make anyone's life any better, including her own.

Overall makes for a very unlikeable film and a couple of hours of my own life I have lost looking at it.

I was tempted to give this a 10, because it does what it does very well, and ... I loved it. I'm giving it a 9, mainly because it's not just about me, and (judging from the other reviews it's gotten) it takes a certain kind of person--and definitely a certain mood--to appreciate what this movie has to offer. On a different night, I wouldn't have had the patience to sit through it, and that's partly because I can't slow myself down often enough, but it's also partly because the movie doesn't do quite as much as it could to draw the viewer in. You need to be in a relaxed, introspective state of mind, I think, but if/when you are, you might find this as rewarding as I did.

I don't want to say a whole lot about the plot, the characters, or the issues that they try to deal with. Part of what I like most about this movie is the way it reveals these things, so I think it's best to not know many details going in. But I will say that there seem to be some important lessons about life and relationships that could be taken away from this, and the messages come across in a natural, unforced way. This is pretty rare.

Reviewers have pointed out that Bosworth does a fine job here, and I completely agree, but the rest of the cast also deserves plenty of praise. Most of what's going on in this movie is pretty subtle, and lesser actors/actresses would have tried to overdo things--and a lesser director would've let them. Even minor missteps in acting or directing can be quite a turn-off for me, but I don't recall any such thing in this case. The locations and camera work didn't hurt either. I was immersed from start to finish.

I also loved the dialogue. Here, too, what I appreciated was that it wasn't overdone, nor was it too subtle. The people on screen talked pretty much like you'd expect them to. (I never found myself thinking, "That character would never put things that way.") Nothing seemed artificial.

So, I guess I could sum things up by saying this is a patient, enjoyable, and flawlessly executed study of certain issues many of us are going to run up against at some point in our lives. I honestly think that many reviewers just don't get it.

i often wondered how a lousy and deadbeat screenplay would be realized and okay-ed by the production people(the investors) to go ahead, and this film is right on the money and a living example of what i've just said. from the very beginning of the brain-dead film. the man and the woman both did a horrible acting, holding books in their hands, but their eyes never moved between lines. they were just holding the books without any believable acting. then the incident when they were wrongly brought to an address and the woman found her wallet was missing. well, if it was the man who's paying the taxi fee, she got no reason to roam in her purse. then the unreasonable response of the taxi driver was also over re-acted. and when she found that she lost her purse, again, she didn't react as the average people who just found out that they had lost their credit cards, their cash and whatsoever. it's just like either it happened very often or she couldn't care less, there was no normal anxiety, agitation, upset emotions showed in her body language, facial expressions and her voice. she was so calm and so unbelievably cool. her stupid acting was never corrected by the stupid and blind director. then scene after scene, every sentence of the stupid dialog just kept floating up one after another, and the poor acting of the female main character and everybody involved in this stupid and bore-to-death film simply never improved and never corrected. i was like watching a bunch of dead fish in a fish tank all afloat on top of the water, no nothing, just a big Nada!

I came across this film one evening after listening to the soundtrack (I won't name it as it gives away spoilers if you know the content of the song), and was intrigued by the few clips and trailers I could find online - it was the most beautiful film. The island of Ischia is a quaint, crumbling backdrop for a very elegant and believable love affair, immediately providing a sense of escape and tranquility for the viewer as they get to know Jane and how she sees the world. The relationships in this film are incredible - sewing hints of doubt and mistrust in carefully considered dialogue and Kate Bosworth's very serious expressions. Jane's husband is delightfully executed as the most boring, standoffish man ever to be in a film, which works perfectly to show how an affair with a younger man would seem like an easy escape for Jane. Jamie Blackley also shines as the younger love interest, his gimmicks, boyish attitude and slight arrogance bouncing off Jane's pensiveness and grief to produce a very sweet romantic encounter. None of the acting feels forced or unrealistic.

It is hard to believe the whole film takes place in less than a week, as the raw emotions that change so often throughout the film could easily take place over a relationship of several months. The intensity is balanced with hazy montages as Jane and Caleb explore the island, and the whole thing reminded me of old Italian films as well as pieces like Roman Holiday. However, if you are after a light-hearted holiday romance, this is not that film. I think, as other reviews have mentioned, you have to be in a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate all aspects of this film, as beautiful though it is, I understand how some people might find it dull or too focused.

I've given it a 9 as although it is one of my favourite films, I know it was originally released at film festivals in black and white, and then colour for public release. I feel it would work even better in black and white - does anyone know if it is possible to get the b/w version?

Troubled couple arrive in Naples and settle in. He to play viola for concerts, she to work on WWII novel / memoir. Gorgeous settings of isle of Ischia, offset by serious, depressing tone of a husband and wife who can no longer communicate with each other. She meets a 19 year old, still very boyish, reckless and full of youthful energy. He comes off as initially annoying, and I cannot say he grew on me, but I did get accustomed to him. The plot meanders around as the young wife (Kate Bosworth - quite good here) broods much of the time. Much of her story is internal, thinking and rethinking, about her situation and possibilities. All the time, she is listening to recordings of her grandmother, recalling her own youth. "Chick flick" might resonate more with female viewers.