LOVESONG

"A wise and wistful movie, one that recognizes humans as complicated, changing, contradictory creatures, and time as a force that can heal, but also harden and close doors." – Hollywood Reporter

When Sarah (Riley Keough) and Mindy (Jena Malone, also seen in The Neon Demon, screening in the 2016 program) reunite after years of irregular contact, the two instantly pick up where they last left off. As the outgoing Mindy helps Sarah cope with the struggles of raising her young daughter alone while her husband travels for work, something more than friendship flickers between the childhood pals – until circumstances tear the duo apart, before forcing them to confront their feelings three years later.

Low-key tales of love, longing and loneliness have long proven writer/director So Yong Kim's forte in previous efforts Treeless Mountain (MIFF 2009) and In Between Days (MIFF 2006); however Lovesong offers her most raw and resonant feature to date. Anchored by delicate performances by Keough and Malone, the filmmaker crafts a tender account of evolving affections and unspoken emotions that disarms and bewilders audiences as much as it does its characters.

"Conjures up that woozier-than-usual feeling of love and left-field connections." – Rolling Stone