Filmmaker Drake Doremus has been repeating himself now for the better part of a decade. His love-hate relationship dramas, which seem to be made as a replacement for couples therapy, have now been done to death by the 37-year-old California-born director. Fine his Sundance Grand-Jury prize winner “Like Crazy” was a breath of fresh air, what with its hand-held camera, raw feelings and birds-eye-view of a couple disintegrating before our very eyes, but, ever since then, Doremus has been trying to repeat the formula of his 2011 award-winner; “Breathe In,” “Equals,” and “Newness,” all hamfisted attempts at the “relationship drama,” but with none of the exciting authenticity of “Like Crazy.”
With his latest film — “Endings, Beginnings” — Doremus is pulling the same stunt yet again, tackling the love plight of Daphne (Shailene Woodley), an L.A. woman in her early thirties and fresh off a breakup with boyfriend of four years Adrian (Matthew Gray Gubler). Regret fills Daphne’s psyche as the reason she and Adrian broke up in the first place is due to her cheating with Jed (Ben Esler). She realizes the breakup is a good opportunity to start anew and what better way to do that than to leave the job she hates, stop her alcoholic habits and quit men for six months. The latter doesn’t last long as Daphne goes to a New Year’s Eve party and gets hit on by two attractive men. Who will she choose? Who cares?
Doremus’ style is to let his actors improvise their own dialogue. He just provides a springboard for them, ala Cassavetes, and gives them carte balance to paint, but the end result is a film lacking in artful insight. The cliches spiral out of control as the love triangle at the center of the movie falls flat, with all the familiarity you’ve come to expect from Doremus. It’s a soap opera and the writer-director seems to revel in every gossipy twist he gives us, too bad we don’t. Maybe Doremus wants to continue making movies such as these, this personal obsession he has with lost love must clearly stem from scarring experiences he may have had with exes, but, whatever the case may be, I just can’t seem to care for the characters populating his films. [D]
“Endings, Beginnings” is available on digital on April 17th and on-demand on May 1st.