Things I Like About You
05-May-2017
Shot in New York, L.A., Moscow, and Paris, this portrait of the young and free is an appealingly raw glimpse into the joys and struggles of love. The mixed-format filming keeps the visuals fresh and the perspective deeply personal. Structured around four stages of a relationship — the meeting, the first date, the relationship itself, and the aftermath — the film moves quickly through the birth and vanishing of love. The wispy narratives are held together by poetic voiceover letting us into the characters expressions. They speak Spanish or Russian or French, but their sentiments intertwine. They speak of spontaneity, togetherness, comfort, aiming to fill the void without really knowing how. Characterized by a vivid restlessness, always on to the next place or feeling or person, director Nadia Bedzhanova is in search of real moments, real smiles, real intimacy, and her characters reveal themselves generously while the mix-tape background injects instant nostalgia, fading up then disappearing before you know what hits you. -KA.
Directed by Nadia Bedzhanova. Music by Lord Dusty.