Drama Pick: And While We Were Here (2012)
This week, as I dream of getting away and enjoying the summer weather, I’m picking And While We Were Here, a little-seen but underrated romantic drama that doubles as a highly effective advertisement for the gorgeous Italian island of Ischia. A lot of people hated this one for its slow pace and dialogue-heavy story, but I really found myself drawn in by every aspect of the movie – from stellar performances to Kat Coiro’s captivating direction and philosophical script.
Kate Bosworth stars as Jane, a depressed tourist on holiday with her neglectful violist husband Leonard (Iddo Goldberg). As she chafes under his lack of attention and struggles to piece her shattered sense of self back together, Jane breaks away and begins an affair with 19-year-old Caleb (Jamie Blackley). As you can tell from that set-up, And While We Were Here isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel in any sense. It simply wants to tell a familiar story about life, love, death and time, using an evocative setting and emotionally compromised characters to do so.
Unlike most films about extramarital affairs, And While We Were Here is rarely tense or nail-biting. It’s all about real people, and that’s reflected in the film’s quiet and meditative approach to storytelling. Bosworth gives one of the best performances of her career as Jane, commanding the screen and nailing every nuance of her character’s complex emotional state. Her work left me thinking for days after I saw the film. Goldberg and Blackley, too, are remarkably strong and convincing.
Viewers looking for a sexy, fast-paced romance may be frustrated by what And While We Were Here has to offer, but those in search of more thoughtful fare should find themselves as engrossed and surprised by the film as I was. It’s a wonder, and a testament to the skill of those involved, that such a small film can be so incredibly compelling, indelibly haunting and quietly devastating.
