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One city. Six people. Several very complicated
relationships. This film is shot documentary style, so
viewers see each character talking about their love lives and
also living those lives. A dentist cheats on his
wife. His wife suspects and falls for one of her
real-estate clients. That client is sleeping with a
teacher. The teacher is divorced from a door man.
That door man is smitten by a diner waitress. The
waitress is the object of the dentist's illicit
affection. Somehow, it all works out.
Sidewalks presents no huge surprises, but it is a fun ride and
a lot of it is set to the jazzy music of Cake, which helps
things proceed happily. There are sweet moments, tense
moments, and funny moments. Much of the film rests on banter
about relationships and, luckily, all of the characters seem
believable. Perhaps that's because the actors didn't
have too much time to think about what they were doing-- the
shoot for this film lasted all of twenty-one days.
The point of this film? Perhaps, it's that love works in
angry circles but hearts have the capacity to smile even when
all of their teeth have been knocked out. Perhaps it's
that we all end up with someone who fits us, even when we have
to make difficult choices to get there. Or that ending
up alone doesn't mean ending up miserable. Somehow,
though, it seems that the point is not so lofty-- perhaps, it
is more about the idea that buying a ticket for the ride is
more important than reaching a certain destination. It's
about deciding to fall in love -- with someone else or with
yourself.
-- Liz
( 3 out of 4 pops )
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