It's 1980, and Carol (Ashley Shea) and Doug (Jack Shea) meet each other
for the first time in a café, and a Dalmatian walking into the place as
if it was the most normal thing in the world triggers their conversation,
which at first seems a little awkward, but nevertheless chemistry between
the two develops quickly.
It's 2017, and Carol and Doug have long since married - and divorced.
And now they're trying to pick up the pieces, finding out where they went
wrong - and Doug is shocked to find out he has become a grandfather
several years back without anybody telling him. And now he feels he has to
make up for lost time ...
Ok, I'll freely admit that my synopsis might make Dalmatian
sound like a clichéed drama about a divorce and it's repercussions - but
the film itself avoids all cheese. In parts it's due to very cleverly
written dialogue, which is poignant even in the film's most dramatic
moments and serves the whole film with more than just a grain of salt and
a bunch of pop culture references that not only lighten up the mood but
also make sense within the story. But also the movie's structure, placing
the 1980 and 2017 narrative threads side by side to jump from one to the
other and back repeatedly, makes the story more engaging and multi-layered
at the same time. And one must not forget the direction, which
intentionally over-emphasizes on the theatrical nature of the two
characters' talking by robbing the scenery of any kind of backdrop and not
changing angles for the whole film. And the theatrical aspect is only
amplified by the actors' at times intentionally wooden and stale
performances, with many an awkward pause in their dialogue, their lack of
movement, and overly clear delivery of lines - something that makes
perfect sense within the context of the movie of course.
In all, a most certainly unusual movie - but one that creates its own
world, and fascinatingly so!
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