Benjamin (2018) Movie Review
True to his nature, Simon Amstell has written a movie that is unmistakably funny, yet also evokes a roller-coaster of emotions.
Benjamin (Colin Morgan) is a young filmmaker who seems to function on the idea that his life and choices need to impress other people.
He seems incapable of holding a normal conversation and is anxious and awkward in every given situation.
Morgan deserves unending praise for his dedication to the role, and for becoming a character that you laugh at, cry with and ultimately feel waves of secondhand embarrassment for.
Noah (Phénix Brossard) and Stephen (Joel Fry) are Benjamin’s two support beams. Noah provides a small sense of normality (if you overlook the mushrooms) and romance in Benjamin's otherwise chaotic life. Stephen, on the other hand, is Benjamin's best friend, who also has a lifetime's worth of his own problems.
Benjamin surrounds himself with flawed people and unsettling situations, which in turn seem to make his own personal problems escalate. He constantly makes mistakes in an attempt to remedy his own unfortunate choices, and, in the process, he continuously pushes away the one person who can help.
Amstell tells a story of a man trying to find a love that he has been otherwise too self-absorbed to feel.
The film provides a moving reminder that most of us are flawed, and that in order to cope with our own situations we must sometimes look at the damage we, ourselves, are causing.
Amstell must also be recognised for creating a film with a gay couple, in a setting where actually being gay isn't ever mentioned or looked upon as unusual (the way it should be).
This is a great move for the LGBTQ+ community and provides a step in the right direction.
The film, the characters, the music (by James Righton) are all impeccably written and hopefully this independent film will make a big impact, as it deserves to do.
Movie Review by Amy W. (GuessImAClotpole)
