Have you heard of People Places Things yet? This movie, made in 2015, continues to navigate through all the chaos of new releases to be an audience favourite. Not only for its cinema verite style of editing but also for the realness that translates through the plot. It is a comedy, but one without the plot being rushed or characters getting corrupted. A unique take on cheating where the act has not been demonised with malicious intent. Rather it highlights serious struggles in real-life relationships. A break from the world of fictional romance.
Will Henry (Jemaine Clement) makes a brilliant protagonist for a number of reasons. The way they have portrayed masculinity in the film is not how most films portray it. He struggles with accepting that his once wife chose to move on and get married to another guy. He was afraid to lose everything he once called family, as one should.
Through his artworks in his comics, he expresses his difficulty in finding himself out of the depths of grief, loss, and self-pity. When Will’s wife Charlie (Stephanie Allyne) cheats on him, she fails to express remorse. Almost as if she did not think what she did was wrong for a number of reasons. The first is that she was caught doing the act during Will and her children’s joint fifth birthday. What we see is this woman gaslighting, she is confused and unsure of her needs and wants in life.
Will gets close to one of his students from his Visual Arts class named Kat played by Jessica Williams. Kat introduces the struggling artist to her single mother, Diane played by Regina Hall. When the two first meet, they are met with obvious differences in opinion. However, it is clear they do take a certain interest in each other. We witness a man who feels lost in life, only wanting to provide and spend more time with his children. He clearly has a very fun relationship with them. The author and professor are struggling with his writer’s block until he gets what we call some creative inspiration from his new partner and especially her daughter.
The romantic comedy manages to deal with the idea of a dying marriage turning into an eventual friendship between co-parents. However, the gentle storyline manages to deal with this trope at its best. In the most real way possible. Looking for a light and heart-warming watch this weekend? Tune into People Places Things now! Watch the gem of a comedy trailer here!
People Places Things now streaming on Netflix!
