A friendly guy (Ritter) works in a local video shop with his three sardonic friends (Edelstein, Webber and Starr), inventing back-stories for the customers but remaining aloof. But this guy breaks that rule, offering advice to a gloomy young woman (Palka) who comes in for bad porn. He also follows her home and awkwardly worms his way into her life. As she continually challenges his annoying presence in her flat, they begin to develop a tentative friendship--two lonely souls connecting just a little bit.

As a writer, Palka deliberately withholds information, from the central duo's names to the wounds each is still licking. We only get sketchy allusions to their histories, and details are dribbled through actions, reactions and offhanded dialog. What we begin to realise is that both of them are living in the wake of a serious trauma, and that their inept interaction might help them begin to think about the future.

While some viewers will be annoyed by such casual vagueness, others will relish an approach to storytelling that lets us discover the characters at their own pace. And the ensemble cast fills in the picture perfectly. Ritter bravely plays the role like an annoying puppy dog: cute and likeable, but you quickly tire of him. And this is magnified by Palka's portrayal of a woman who doesn't like to be spoken to or touched. But every time she pushes him away, he disarms her with a guilty smile.

Their relationship is often freakishly twisted, from the way they interact to the topics of conversation. As a director, Palka captures scenes with wit and an askance visual sensibility that echoes in the characters. The result is often hysterically funny and endearing. And in the end it's also startlingly moving, as the meaning of film's title finally dawns on us. Not that Palka gives us many hints. But it does feel great to have a filmmaker who can entertain us and keep us thinking at the same time.

themes, strong language, sexuality

21.Jun.08 eiff