There's not much to say about Matt And Mara, although I am very much aware of the fact that I have started previous reviews with a similar sentence before wittering on for ages and ages. This feels a bit lighter and more inconsequential than anything I have viewed in a while though, although that doesn't mean that I disliked it.
Mara (Deragh Campbell) reconnects with an old friend, Matt (Matt Johnson), at a time when she is struggling with some aspects of her life. Mara has spent a lot of time teaching students about writing, whereas Matt has become a published author. The two used to be inseparable, the kind of people defined by others as a duo rather than one individual, but will they be able to be back in that space once again? Will they even want to?
Written and directed by Kazik Radwanski, from a story by Samantha Chater, this is your basic low-key indie fare, relying on the charm and interplay of the two leads while the world around them quickly moves out of focus. There's tension, but it's the kind that arrives from two people having moved to two very different places in life, and the second half highlights the biggest differences between our leads, showing how their friendship always contained, and was perhaps strengthened by, fundamental division in how they dealt with other aspects of life and relationships.
Campbell is very easy to like in her role, and able to show herself distracted by her own thoughts while in, or contemplating, some minor moments in her life that she considers to be major. Johnson gets to be a bit more inconsiderate and outspoken, but he's generally still likable enough. Both have worked with Radwanski in most of his other films, and I wouldn't be surprised if some easygoing improv had been encouraged to make the onscreen rapport more authentic. Mounir Al Shami has a small, but important role, and he does good work in what appears to be his feature film debut.
There could have been more said here, that's the main criticism. A film about friendship that could have shown just how important that can be, especially at times when friends are there for you more than family. It instead just hits some predictable moments though, and that feels like a real wasted opportunity.
It's better than the two other Radwanski films I have seen (How Heavy This Hammer and Anne At 13,000 Feet), but not by much. I guess that he's happy enough moving around and around in the same small pond, but I'd love to see him step way out of his comfort zone one day. Ironically, much like the characters he has given us onscreen, a push from someone else may lead to him doing something that feels a bit more daring and impressive.
6/10
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