Life Just Is

Anyone who has ever shared a student house will recognise the situations and conversations captured by writer/director Alex Barrett in this garrulous, but intelligent drama that marks his feature debut. The film has much in common with the middle-class social realism of Joanna Hogg (Archipelago) as well as Eric Rohmer's languid dramas, though here the action is often humdrum, while the performances frequently feel laboured. But Barrett allows his 20-something characters to discuss the kind of issues that preoccupy graduates faced with the decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Thus, Jayne Wisener's reluctance to commit to older boyfriend Paul Nicholls in case she has her heart broken again feels as authentic as Jack Gordon's crisis of faith and Nathaniel Martello-White and Fiona Ryan's fears that they may ruin their longtime friendship if they express their true feelings. What sets this apart, however, is Barrett's innovative compositional style - the disconcerting shifts between static wide shots and intrusive close-ups ensures that the movie remains visually intriguing even when the scenario begins to flag.