Husband and wife Dave Rogers and Elena Beuca were returning
from a European vacation when they came upon a strange young man at the
airport. The young man, an earthy Danish
vagabond named Ditlev, was just looking for a ride, but soon found himself
welcomed into the couple's home. He only
stayed with them four days, but he left quite an impression on the couple, one
that would change them individually and as a couple forever. Rogers (who wrote the screenplay) and Beuca
(who directed) have turned their story into the new release, the
award-winning D-Love.
In addition to working behind the camera, Beuca and Rogers
also play their cinematic counterparts Stefania and Dan Michaels. The film's title comes from the nickname
given to the drifter (who also plays himself in the film) by Dan, who quickly
strikes up a friendship with their guest.
Stefania is a bit more apprehensive; the couple has had a pretty rough
go of things lately, and the last thing she needs is a mysterious stranger
causing more problems. D-Love's relaxed
hippie world view appeals to the troubled couple, and the longer he stays the
bigger his impact ultimately is. But
just by reading this review, much less seeing the character's introduction in
the film, you might have already guessed that.
The emotional beats in D-Love are genuinely poignant
but feel a bit watered down, particularly as the film goes on. But the predictability of D-Love works
both ways in a strange sort of way. It
is frustrating to watch a film where you can consistently and with reasonable
accuracy guess what's going to happen next.
However, as predictable films go, D-Love is about as harmless as
a Hallmark Channel movie. D-Love is
cinematic comfort food: you know exactly what you're going to get from it, and
it's probably not going to enrich you in a helpful way, but it will certainly
make you feel good inside for a little while.
Score
-Mike Stec