Love is Now is ultimately a testament to DSLR film making, with striking photography and some superb production coming together to ensure the film never dips below a certain visual standard, playing out as something photographers the world over will herald as a marvel achievement. Backed by Nikon Australia, the film succeeds at capturing the beauty of a road trip in the Australian outback with lively visuals and an effective soundtrack by Spiderbait drummer Kram, even if the story is a little off-track at times. Love is Now makes full use of Nikon’s D810 DSLR and the results are stunning.
Director-writer Jim Jounsbury and Director of Photography Anthony Jennings do a commendable job here, with production by Behren Schulz, ensuring that the film looks and feels like a dream. Lead actors Eamon Farren (portraying character Dean) and Claire Van Der Boom (as Audrey) work well with what they have, starting off as fairly dull characters but progressing with the intensity that this dark love story requires, settling into their roles towards the end of the film even if the reasonably strong performances come a little too late.
Dean is an aspiring – and struggling – amateur photographer when he meets Audrey, someone who has well advanced in her character, at an exhibit that he lied his way in to. Love blossoms from there to the point to two decide to thrust their new-found relationship into a road trip via the NSW Harvest Trail to the beautiful Mount Warning. The dynamic between the two is fairly humdrum until Dean’s neuroticism comes barging into the picture and tears the relationship apart. Despite the dialogue – and bland delivery – bordering on the cringe-worthy at times, the actors make great use of body language to show to hot-cold relationship progressing into chaos.
The film’s opening flashback already heralds a crisis to come, and the tragic twist at the end confirms this, veering the film – which is already fairly dark – into fairly depressing territory, even if the emotional punch is light. The ending could feel like a cop out depending on your expectations in terms of the film’s plot, but this was and is always going to be about the efficiency of the method by which this film comes to life. And if we are judging by that standard, than Love is Now rises above any trace of gimmick and heralds in a great advancement in indie film making.
Review Score: TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Running Time: 96 minutes
Love Is Now is currently screening in select cinemas across the country
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