WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
There are the intervals that define us, the depths of soul that rule our actions, and the remoteness of being apart from those we love and cherish. In trying to maintain any effective semblance of being a truly committed couple when engaged in a long distance relationship, sometimes it’s simply too much burden to bear. As the weekend comes to a close for James (Tim Pollack) and Sophie (Arlene McKenna), the rain falling on the car windshield only seems to be one omen reflecting the storm within an embattled circumstance. It seems so evident what the primary issue would be, yet the two have totally different notions for it all.
As the two make every effort to talk out the situation in sporadic bits of mundane platitudes and “we’ve said this before and just keep saying it” bits of conversation, the breadth of their love for each other has turned to a chasm, even though memories of the joys experienced when together flash through their pained thoughts. While James seems a little too indifferent or unconcerned about the way things are, Sophie’s realizations that she wants something more, something better, something more concrete to bring them together seems to be fading, even as the bus pulls away from the depot–pulling them both farther and farther away.
Next, my Mind:
Filled with an affecting span and deep range of longing, love, resentment, frustration, hints of hope, and dreams being shattered, writer/director Aimie Willemse’s 4-minute expose into the seemingly unduly harsh yet stirringly poignant realities of long distance relationships is delivered with resonance and a certainty that one cannot help but be drawn in by, especially perhaps by those who have actually experienced such romances before. Filmed with a solid mix of in-the-present dialogue intermixed with flashbacks to much happier times, the movie embraces its characters and their hurt with genuine heart and drive, while the wonderfully executed musical score from Josh James Shrouder hauntingly accompanies the couple’s every word. It’s raw to the core, and what sometimes isn’t being said that speaks the loudest here.
Pollack’s performance as James is infused with an almost infuriating sense of apathy as events unfold, presenting a man who we may understand loves this woman with all his heart, yet throughout the discussion being had and images we see, his absolute attention to her also seems questionable. He desires them to be together, yet the real yearning to have Sophie there all the time still appears fragmented and unsure. McKenna’s Sophie on the other hand illustrates a woman whose sole aspiration is for them to find a new, exciting, vibrant place where they are side by side when they wish, to build upon what they already have, and to very much find a far more meaningful connection. But, her actuality dictates the pain of knowing the detachment and isolation being experienced goes well beyond only their physical estrangement. The actors embody this via undisguised emotional transparency.
In total, “The Distances Between” stands as an emotive, quietly impassioned, heart-moving study in the struggle for closeness while having to, however reluctantly, entertain the shadows of disinterest and enduring the trials involved with loving from afar.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
