A Love Song (2022)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: A Love Song (2022)

Genre: Drama

Director: Max Walker-Silverman

Cast: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi, Michelle Wilson, Benja K. Thomas, John Way, Marty Grace Dennis, Sam Engbring, Scout Engbring, Gregory Hope, Jesse Hope, Felipe Jorge

Release: 2022-07-29

Runtime: 81

Plot: Two childhood sweethearts, now both widowed, share a night by a lake in the mountains.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Has anyone seen this yet?

It is a well-reviewed film that came out of Sundance earlier this year. Bleecker Street is rolling it out slowly. According to The Numbers, it is in 107 theaters this weekend, which is up from just 18 last weekend. I'm not sure what their future expansion plans are.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I went to see A Love Song this afternoon and really enjoyed it.

Dale Dickey leads the movie as a widow who reconnects with a childhood friend while camping in the mountains. That's pretty much the extent of the plot. It really isn't a plot-heavy film. Many people might look at it and tell you that nothing much happens in it. But a lot happens in it if you just like getting to spend some time with some well-developed characters. It it is a really great showcase for Dickey and Wes Studi, who plays her friend, Lito. They are both wonderful in their roles and they say a lot about their characters even when they aren't speaking. It is a quiet, simple character study. It works because they are so compelling to watch.

Dickey, in particular, is in pretty much every scene of the movie. If she wasn't great, or if this role had been in the hands of a less capable actress, the movie would probably be terrible. But she is great in a role that is perfectly suited to her talents. It feels very natural to watch her, almost like you're just watching her life for the duration of the movie.

It also features some beautiful photography of Colorado mountains and surrounding areas on the campsite. I was really glad to see it on a big screen, which helped the great visuals really pop.

The only thing that I thought was odd was the decision to date the movie as occurring in September 2020. That month is cited specifically in multiple shots of a calendar, and yet there is no mention of Covid-19 in the story at all. I don't think the story needed to address Covid necessarily; I liked it very much as-is. However, because that time period was really bad in regards to the pandemic, it seemed odd to call attention to then, specifically, if the story wasn't going to involve the pandemic. I think it could have just existed in the general present day without having to say 2020.

Still, the movie is good. Recommended.

 

[Jake Lipson]

According to theater counts at The Numbers, A Love Song shed 38 theaters this weekend. It is now showing in 69 theaters, down from the 107 it was in last weekend.

Theater counts: a trio of wide releases debut but Beast makes its way to widest release - The Numbers

After trailing Bullet Train in last week’s list of widest releases and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero at the box office, Beast can claim the prior

www.the-numbers.com

This is too bad because it seems to signal that Bleecker Street is no longer expanding the release. If it hasn't opened near you already, you might have to wait until the film is released at home.

This is unfortunate because I think the film is really good and deserves to be seen by a larger audience than it has been.

 

[Wayne_j]

I saw this today and loved it, most people under at least 40 will probably find it boring though.

Incredible cinematography.

 

[Jake Lipson]

most people under at least 40 will probably find it boring though.

For the record, I'm under 40 and I throughly enjoyed it.

Incredible cinematography.

Agreed.

 

[Wayne_j]

For the record, I'm under 40 and I throughly enjoyed it.


Agreed.

I'm only 47 and was by far the youngest person there.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I suspect I was the youngest person at my screening too. You're absolutely right that this is an older-skewing film.