Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Jonás Trueba
Starring: Itsaso Arana, Vito Sanz, Fernando Trueba, Jon Viar, Andrés Gertrúdix
One of the main reasons "show, don't tell" is such an important
storytelling guideline, especially in cinema, is that too often "telling"
results in the viewer being placed in the position of having to take a
character's word for granted with no evidence to back up any declaration
they make. If a movie opens with a character telling us they're miserable
we have to take their word for it, but if the filmmaker doesn't show us
why that character is miserable, why should we believe them? If the story
progresses and the filmmaker continually refuses to give us any evidence
of their character's state, we end up in conflict with the narrative,
leading to a frustrating viewing experience.
Writer/director Jonás Trueba opens his latest
film, The Other Way Around, with its protagonists - Ale and Alex, played by the director's regular
collaborators Itsaso Arana and Vito Sanz, who
also co-wrote the script - declaring that their 14-year relationship has
run its course, that they are no longer in love. One would assume that the
film will elaborate on how and why they reached this point, but it never
does; we're simply expected to take their word for it.
This proves difficult as we're given little indication of Ale and Alex's
true feelings for one another. There appears to be little animosity
between them, but there's also a clear lack of passion. At no point is it
implied that were was ever any infidelity on either's part. Did they
simply grow bored with each other's company? We're given no answers, nor
even any clues. The intention of the film is for us to root for Ale and
Alex to realise they belong together, but do they? Maybe I missed
something, but I couldn't see any evidence that they should or shouldn't
break up.
The Other Way Around hangs on the novel idea of Ale and Alex deciding to throw a party
for friends, family and colleagues to "celebrate" their parting. This
plays out in similar fashion to Trueba's earlier film The August Virgin, with the narrative structured around Ale and Alex meeting up with the
various people they wish to invite. The point of The August Virgin was that the female protagonist, who was also played by Arana,
learned something about herself from her meetings with friends and
strangers, but the people Ale and Alex meet make practically no impact.
They react as most people would if confronted with the news that a couple
is breaking up, offering pithy condolences and expressing disappointment.
Some refer to Ale and Alex as a model couple, but do we believe
them?
Had The Other Way Around been made by a Scandinavian filmmaker you can't help but suspect
the scenario would have been played as an absurdist comedy. Trueba's film
has a light tone, but laughs are thin on the ground. Kierkegaard's theory
of repetition is cited, and there's certainly a lot of repetition in
Trueba's film, with the many scenes of Ale and Alex informing
acquaintances of their impending uncoupling quickly growing tiresome. Much
of comedy comes from repetition, but not in this case. Woody Allen is
clearly an influence on Trueba, but he lacks the wit and insight Allen
might bring to this premise. When Ale and Alex argue over the merits of
Blake Edwards' 10 and the latter claims Dudley Moore is his favourite actor, we're
forced to speculate how Trueba probably wanted this scene to be centred
around a Woody Allen film but thought better of it in the current
climate.
The Other Way Around is less will-they-won't-they more why-should-we-care? By the end of
the film we still know very little about Ale and Alex. This is further
obfuscated by Ale being a filmmaker and Alex the star of her latest
work-in-progress. At a certain point we realise some of the scenes we've
witnessed are actually from Ale's film rather than from Ale and Alex's
real life. That it's so difficult to tell the two apart is indicative of
how thinly sketched Ale and Alex are as people, and as former
lovers.
