THATFILMGUY

Long distance relationships are always difficult, with couples failing to keep in touch, communication inevitably breaks down “ out of sight out of mind. Like Crazy is an art house and ˜stylishly’ made film that tries to test the distance theory. When two people are so deeply in love and devoted to each other, breaking the bond is difficult; oh how naive can one be.  And so what now follows is 90 minutes of depression, cluelessness, an emotional rollercoaster.

Brit, Anna (Felicity Jones) is currently living and studying in California, thousands of miles away from her parents, friends and her life in London. From the beginning we are shown that she has caught the eye of a Teaching Assistant Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and is obviously interested in him too. First contact “ a sly note under his window wiper, leading to a phone call. And so it begins “ the audience watch as the pair awkwardly try to get to know each other. One word to take complete notice of here is awkward, the cringe worthiness of their first moments together made me want to leave the cinema; however I am persistent.

After an intense few months of the honeymoon period, the couple soon realise they have to face the impending situation of summer break. In which she will go back to London to work and attend her sister’s wedding, then return to be with her beloved. 2 months is all they have to wait; however the day before leaving the US she intelligently decides to overstay her visa. Only returning to the homeland for the wedding. Anna, when finally travelling back to California, is detained in the airport for violating the terms on her student visa “ the consequence, deportation and a ban on returning.

The rest of the film looks at the struggle they go through over the course of four years, as the characters are seen falling in and out of love with each other. One word to describe this film “ turbulent. After getting over the awkwardness in the beginning between Anna and Jacob, they decide to seewho can ignore and hurt each other the most. Then switching to try and get one another’s attention again. I felt fed up with the pair of them, with one friend commenting that she felt she had just gone through a breakup. I can only imagine the audience (2 other people) felt the same.

Felicity Jones, whilst being natural seemed like she was just being herself and getting paid for it. No effort was put into getting to know Anna and there was nothing going on below the awkward surface. Anton Yelchin is definitely the only one out of the pair with blossoming talent. Experience counts for a lot and having previously starred alongside Colin Farrell he has this; as well as a rough idea of what he is actually doing.

Jordanna K. Virdee