REVIEW: Toronto Film Scene – NXNE Festival Review (Toronto)
Edith is a twenty-something aspiring actress who can’t get a job. As her friends and acquaintances all start to get breaks, Edith (played by Leah Goldstein of local band July Talk) waits desperately for callbacks and tries to network at hipster bars. When her ex-boyfriend suddenly decides to take up acting and immediately books a lead role in a feature film, she begins to spiral into a world of intense jealousy and bad decisions.
Stories about the struggle to break into showbiz have long been a staple of cinema, particularly in indie film, likely because of the familiarity of the situation to the filmmakers in question. What is so striking about the Toronto-set dramedy Diamond Tongues, from directors Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson, is how unlikeable they’re willing to make their central character. With her blond bob haircut and bright red lipstick, Edith’s cute exterior masks an inner bundle of selfishness, perverse envy, and laziness.
And yet we can still sympathize with her. Her desperate quest to become an actor reveals itself to be more about the need for attention than any sort of creative ambitions. You get the feeling that she’d be a lot happier if only there were more people liking her Facebook page. In our social media obsessed age, where everyone expects recognition, this story couldn’t be more relevant.
IS DIAMOND TONGUES ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL VIEWING?
It’s getting a theatrical release in August, but check this out now to be ahead of the buzz. Moondi and Robertson seem poised for a break out of their own.
– Mark Hanson
Source: Toronto Film Scene
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