It’s hard not to notice that for an American film, one that is also set in LA, a majority of its cast performs the film with their native – and distinctly not-American – accents. However, it ends up being a perfect little reflection on the aims that a film like this goes for, which is authenticity in character. Crafting characters that have their own personalities, distinctions, desires, goals, and flaws. Not forcing the actors to put on an American accent allows them to put their efforts into making their performances honest, empathetic, and deeply felt. That’s where the film succeeds the most, and makes it so worthwhile, even with its modest ambitions.
The film follows the lives of two sisters, Andrea and Tara (played by real sisters, Jemima and Lola Kirke), who are each finding themselves at a crossroads in their lives through their relationships. Andrea is hooking up with a successful writer, Nick (Jamie Dornan), who ends up having to confront problems of his own. Tara, who is a relationship with an older man, Martin (Ben Mendelsohn), but is suddenly finding herself growing more and more attatched to an even older man, who comes in the form of a married rabbi named David (Billy Crystal).
Emma Forrest is the writer and director of the picture, and this marks her very first film. For a debut, this is rock solid work. It’s handsomely made, capturing LA with a soft, warm vibrancy, which is emphasized by it’s moody, but not droning, score. It’s a well made film, but where she truly excels at is with the characters. Without overstaying her welcome, she takes the time for the audience to get to know these characters, understand where they come from, and how it forms the way they see the world, and how the world challenges them at every turn.
She gives the characters a lot of history. Andrea, for example, is a former heroin addict, and has a shaky relationship with her recently deceased father who got her on heroin before he eventually sobered up. Tara, meanwhile, has mostly known their father as the sober man, which creates a dissonance between them. That history provides some unspoken insight on some of their choices, and the ways they need to learn and grow together as the film goes on.
The performances are what really sells it all. Everyone is wonderful here. Naturally, the Kirke sisters work very well with each other, bringing what might be elements of their rapport into the film, creating a compelling dynamic that changes over the course of the film. Mendelsohn is delightful as he usually is, bringing a light touch whenever he appears, but still managing to inject pathos at every moment. Dornan brings a broodiness that works far better here than it did when he tried it with a certain franchise he is now free of, but what makes it work here is how low-key he plays everything. Crystal is as reliable a presence as ever, but he isn’t on screen as much as everyone else.
Untogether is a solid debut that hints at greater things to come for writer/director, Emma Forrest. She knows how to assemble a very talented cast, and work with them in a way that helps bring these complicated and resonating characters to life. She clearly feels for all of these characters, and writes them in a way that allows you to get inside their head, if just for a moment, as they process these deep emotional hangups that caught them off-guard. It explores sisterhood, love, relationships confidently and assured, but also with a slick and subtle sense of humor. If this film is any indication, Forrest is a talent worth keeping an eye on.