LOVETRUE

"If particular films each have an equivalent genre in literature, Alma Har'el's documentary LoveTrue comes closest to poetry." – The Playlist

True love is a topic singers croon about, writers muse over and everyone else dreams of – but does it really exist? That's the question at the heart of LoveTrue, the Shia LaBeouf-produced sophomore effort from Bombay Beach director Alma Har'el. Tracking three accounts of amorous affairs, complete with re-enactments of past memories and potential futures by non-actors and the subjects themselves, this surreal yet deeply insightful, humanist film attempts to probe romantic facts and lay bare relationship fantasies.

In Alaska, perennially lonely exotic dancer Blake tries to make a connection with the physically fragile Joel. For Hawaii-based teenage surfer Coconut Willie, his one lasting bond is with his young son. Busking on the streets of New York with her family, Victory endeavours to come to terms with her parents' breakup. Filmed to resemble home movies and told with unwavering earnestness, their stories deconstruct, deliberate upon and demystify that crazy little thing called love.

Best Documentary winner at Karlovy Vary festival.

"Human love – in all its fulsome, frustrating forms – is a slippery subject for an 82-minute documentary to wrap its arms around, but Alma Har'el's opalescent, often bewitching LoveTrue makes a virtue of that elusiveness." – Variety