Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you like music and romance, sure.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 86 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“Song One” is a romantic movie about a woman who tries to awaken her estranged brother from a coma, and falls in love with a musician as she does so. It stars Anne Hathaway (Franny Ellis), Johnny Flynn (James Forrester), Mary Steenburgen (Karen), and Ben Rosenfield (Henry Ellis). It is rated NC-16.
“Song One” has a very distinct indie film feel, yet many portions of it look too polished to fall into that category. While the premise presupposes many musical performances throughout, there aren’t quite enough to make it seem that the film is one about music. Fortunately, there’s the love story to fall back on, which is what the core of the movie is about.
Highlights
Anne Hathaway has a beautiful, refreshing look
Something about the imaging for Franny Ellis has given her a uniquely mesmerising look. It’s not so much hipster as it is an aura of independence and strength. Her short hair, choice of clothes, and even her mannerisms add to this image, which is a novel change from the usual characters that she portrays. It helps to have a good looking protagonist helm the film.
Symbols and subtext galore
Virtually every object handled by the characters – starfruit, anyone? – is laden with themes and hidden connections to the rest of the film. It adds to the greater symbolism that holds the movie together, which is music, thus creating a richer experience as you ponder over the subtext of the props and set design in the show.
Genuine emotions
One of the things that strikes a chord is the grief that Franny has over the estrangement of her brother, and her desperation to wake him up and atone for what she has done. This, coupled with the sweet and tentative romance with James Forrester, gives the movie a heartwarming connection with audiences.
Letdowns
Morbid premise
Unfortunately, the premise is rather strange – would you be falling in love while trying to awaken a loved one from a coma? It’s not something you realise until after the show, but Franny and James’ romance seems highly inappropriate given her comatose brother lingering in the back of their heads.
Distracting colour correction
A lot of the indoor night scenes are adjusted to unrealistic shades of jaundiced yellow. It takes your attention away from the plot itself, since the rest of the scenes are pretty normal in terms of colour.
Abrupt ending
The ending just comes out of nowhere. It feels like an extra scene that resolves the latent tension between the two leads is missing. Perhaps it was cut for time, but this would have really helped in giving proper closure to the film.
“Song One” has so much potential to be a great film, but somehow it never comes through on the expectations that are set up. Nevertheless, it is a rather decent romance in its own right, and manages to tell a sweet tale of love and family.
“Song One” opens in cinemas 5 March, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo Singapore.
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