Life Just Is (2012) Reviews

• "Well, that's an hour and a half of my life I won't get back."

  markgorman2012-06-23

  Ironically this is the opening line of Alex Barrett's directorial debut "Life Just Is." Ironic, because that was exactly my feelings as I thankfully exited the cinema on the movie's debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival an hour ago. It's trying to be a Hal Hartleyesque slice of modern London Life. It's trying to reflect the ebb and flow of post University existence amongst a group of token flatmates and pals (a la This Life). I mean really; A black guy, a gay guy, an existentialist "nutter", a pretty posh girl and a Northern Irish lass that doesn't have to confidence to exist and is going to hell and back in a relationship with her new and much older boyfriend. Does that tick enough boxes? I say it's trying to be these things, but all it is trying. It's turgid, tormenting, tumescent tosh. Really it is. Pretentious doesn't even begin to describe how, err, pretentious this movie is. The acting is at times naturalistic but more often than not simply wooden. The camera work is so slow that on occasions you wonder if you're actually watching the rushes. There are many scenes of Tom (Nathaniel Martello-White) walking to work so slowly that you wonder if he's actually disabled only to realise he has to walk that slowly so that the dolly can keep up with him. Avoid this boring self-indulgent claptrap at all costs.

  More

• Normal is hard to do

  pairofones2012-12-11

  I remember when a friend once showed me his completed movie having spent over a £100,000 on it and he was stunned when I pointed out a couple of scenes (the end) that appeared tacked on (i.e. the beginning doesn't lead to any end). He wasn't stunned that I pointed it out, he was stunned that the 35 people who worked on the film never gave any such feedback. My heart goes out to the writer and director of this feature who were probably encouraged by well meaning folks who didn't have the heart to tell them to do another five re-writes before committing so many people to producing a failure. Young film makers like these might want to look at the work of avant-garde theatre or agile software development both who regularly pilot their work in front of audiences way before any commitment has been made in terms of work. Life Just Is concerns itself with a group of twenty-somethings day to day goings on over a period of a week. Being a film about our existence as it ' just is' any significant plot, conflict, premise or story have no place on here. The title, as printed on your movie ticket, can be completed with whatever comes to mind as actors move from couches to kitchens to bedrooms having chats together. At the surface 'Life as It Is' seems to present the banal in a mundane way. Going deeper, it presents the significant relationships we have with people we know very little about in a mundane way. Beneath that, if one was to plumb the depths one would find a deep lesson in writing.

  More

• a long student film

  dipsy-lee542012-11-21

  WOW. This one is up their in my league of the awful ones.. Obviously it has no budget, so I'm not going to criticise the actors or the props.. I'm just going to criticise the fact that this made it to IMDb... I'm flabbergasted. This is basically a REALLY long drawn out STUDENT FILM. If any of you aren't familiar with the 'student film', it's basically a very boring, simple look on life (always life), relationships (always relationships) and a tiny tiny tiny pinch of conflict (not too much to put pressure on the actors!).. Here are the exact ingredients: •1 annoying looking pretty boy 1 bland looking female 1 gay person (male or female) 1 house (student house will do) 1 camera, a cheap light and shopping trolley to push the camera on. 1 awful scriptwritten on the back of a cereal packet. Mix together with £50 budget to cover pizzas, 2 days to cover all the scenes and move the lighting around, 2 days to put it on a computer and muddle the scenes around with some free music and an old PC to burn it to disc... That's it.. student film done. If you're still in any doubt, find this film.

  More

• Unexpected moments of recognition

  tisisbahoosh-243-6466282015-02-18

  Sure, Life Just Is might not be for everyone--it's a slow burn kind of film, and takes a few minutes to fully settle into a rhythm. But for viewers with a certain degree of patience and appreciation for narratives that emphasize the emotional, it's a recognizable and rewarding experience. Life Just Is taps into a particular moment that has been a source of inspiration for a huge number of storytellers--the strange, uncertain time between entering adulthood and fully adjusting to your new position in life. More than the temporal, however, this film focuses on a certain emotional transition that might happen at any time: the period in which one comes to terms with oneself as a flawed and developing human being, and accepts the inevitably of change as a component of growth. There were moments in this film in which I recognized myself without even wanting to. It's a movie that's unafraid of trying something difficult and being earnest. Especially for a viewer who is humble enough to laugh at themselves, Life Just Is provides moments of identification and genuine sweetness.

  More

• A subtle gem

  paranoidhippie2012-12-17

  I loved this film, it's intelligent and gently thought-provoking in an understated way. It's all about the characters and most people could find one to connect with, albeit in their youth. One could say nothing much happens, yet it's never boring, full of genuinely interesting characters and the leisurely development of their friendships and lives. The highly respected, professional film critic Mark Kermode has recently recommended "Life Just Is" as his DVD of the week on BBC 24. If it's good enough for him to enjoy, discuss and recommend, then I think it's definitely worth watching. This is an independent UK film, yes it appears to have been made on a low budget but that takes nothing away from the general premise, as it tackles some of life's bigger issues, such as religion and philosophy. A film that you can relax into and simply enjoy for what life really just is, or contemplate the deeper aspects of our so called ordinary lives....it's up to you.

  More