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| Images Courtesy of Circle Collective |
Kim Albright's debut feature film, With Love and a Major
Organ is one of the most brilliant and hopeful films of the
century. A dystopian, quasi love story by way of The Lobster and The
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this is a unique adaptation of a
stage play that challenges the notions of an electronically connected future,
love, loneliness, and ultimately presents a neo-fable about the importance of
acceptance and self-love. Featuring a brilliant lead performance, a
slick script, and an unusual amount of restraint, this is an essential viewing
experience.
In an alternate world, humanity's day to day experiences are dictated by a life
controlling social app, emotional experiences are carefully booked day spas,
and the human heart is a physical object that can be removed. Anabel is
one of the last holdouts, a struggling artist and keepsake insurance claims
specialist who falls in love and ultimately gives her heart away in a desperate
bid to avoid the coldness of her existence. Julie Lederer's script runs
the gamut of emotions. It is hilarious, heartbreaking and at times,
conceptually gruesome. This is about a world of prisons, not terribly unlike
our own. Parents build walls around children while adults build walls
around their hearts and the presentation and dialogue is reflective both of
this truth and of the social media illusion that conceals it.
Anna Maguire gives a bravura performance as Anabel. She is supported by
Hamza Haq as her potential love interest, George. The brilliance of this
film is in how the actors play their characters at various points within the
narrative. A straight comedy would have the two principles mimicking certain
aspects, but everything remains fairly grounded and natural under Albright’s
command. While there are some laugh out loud moments, for the most part
there is a malaise of unhappiness that only increases once Anabel makes her
choice and this is perfectly realized by Maguire's dedicated performance.
Leonardo Harim's cinematography is unobtrusive and sterile, embodying the
familiar strangeness of the world in which the story takes place. Shots
of nature are juxtaposed from the emotionless streets of the city and the way
in which Anabel and George are framed throughout their respective journeys is
resplendent. Ultimately there are many things that one can take from this
film, but at the center is that one's heart, no matter the circumstance, must
be given the freedom to love and lose and the moody underpinnings of Harim's
compositions drive this home.
Coming soon to theaters, With Love and a Major Organ is a high concept
film that plays with many genres to deliver a touching emotional sojourn of
individuality, creativity, and unconditional love. While the offbeat
presentation may repel some viewers, anyone looking for an interesting approach
to the familiar dilemmas that continue to grow in the here and now, this will
not disappoint.
--Kyle Jonathan
--Kyle Jonathan