What Love Looks Like

Alex Magana’s fourth feature What Love Looks Like features five love stories and about fifteen characters in 85 minutes. The setting is present day Los Angeles; a nervous guy Theodore (Jake Menzies) meets a nice girl Bailey (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) at the park whilst dog walking, he’s been trying to approach her for weeks. A socially awkward woman Elvie (Ashley Rose McKenna) meets a shy man Sam (Nathan Kohnen) at another park, they connect despite some reservations on Sam’s part as his wife Willow (Gabriella Wisdom) shadows him. Finn (Kyle Meck) meets an English woman Penelope (Taylor Alexa Frank) on a student visa; she is due to leave the states in a few days. Standout performances include Kate Durocher as Nicole the girlfriend of Owen (Josh Gilmer), Nicole is ignored as Owen is constantly on his phone and pays virtually no attention to her throughout the film. Nicole meets a new guy, Jace (Trevor Sean), things change.

The stand out story brings a fine performance from Jamie Shelnitz as Summer who meets Calvin (Connor Wilkins) on Tinder. They are the only couple to have sex in the film. Magana (who shot, edited wrote and directed the film) plays with the triviality of guy and girl talk as he cuts between scenes of Summer’s friend Vanessa (Margo Graff) suggesting that she should join a Blind Dating App, Calvin’s friend Mason (Tay McVeigh) suggests the same mirroring the dialogue already spoken by Vanessa, similar reactions are made by Mason and Vanessa when their friends later announce that they’ve joined the App. Shelnitz gives a thoughtful performance particularly in her emotional scenes. Often the film tells us that the women are right morally in the situations (Nicole with Owen and his phone and Summer’s reaction after Calvin’s clumsy attempt to explain nicely about him not staying over).

Between the trivialities of love in a film which has more potential then it is given Magana gets the best out of his actors. In a view of LA where the sun always shines everyone is beautiful and they are not doing too badly for themselves, though their apartments are completely bare, love conquers all. Will the relationships last? Maybe. Hollywood often cranes up as we leave the characters fulfilled at the end. Overtaking the challenges but the challenges still exist for the awkward Theodore, the lonely Sam and Nicole. I remember years ago watching Edward Zwick’s About Last Night… adapted from David Mamet’s 1974 play Sexual Perversity in Chicago it concerns two male friends (Rob Lowe and James Belushi) and their girlfriends (Demi Moore and Elizabeth Perkins). Lowe and Moore’s relationship is so destructive, by the end when they somehow reconcile, the pain is still there waiting to rip them apart again at any time. Magana’s view of love though not as deep is more hopeful, there’s a maturity and willingness to look on the bright side, however simplistic. To accept mistakes and hardships and move on. Erik Satie’s music adds to the poignant atmosphere.