Across the River
“Across the River” follows a very familiar blueprint if you’re a fan of Richard Linklater’s “Before” movies (especially the last two). First of all, writer-director Warren B. Malone had some assistance in writing the film from his lead actors, Elizabeth Healey (as Emma) and Keir Charles (as Ryan). Secondly, it follows former lovers throughout an afternoon together after their lives cross one day. That’s a pretty strong setup for a film about two people and potential romance, and Malone pulls it off relatively well here.
The film begins with quick glimpses of the lives of Emma (a lawyer who has work responsibilities, and her daughter’s birthday, she’s trying to juggle) and Ryan (whom we meet making sand castles in a competition) before fate puts them together when her phone falls into his water bucket. They were in a relationship several years ago that ended badly; now, Emma and Ryan are reunited, and they spend their time together catching up, arguing, and we see glimpses of what might be if they get back together.
Malone’s film is described as an “Un-romantic comedy,” in the sense that this isn’t a meet cute designed to turn into love, but rather, one that puts two former lovers together, and sees what might be there in terms of friendship, maybe romantic affection, but more seeing why they would have gotten together in the first place. That’s a different idea than what Linklater has going on in his trilogy, but the appeal for not just the actors, but the audience, is fundamentally the same- have two characters be instantly bonded together, and see where the story takes them. Having the actors contribute to the writing process is a strong idea for a film like this, because it allows them to put some of themselves into the roles between just saying the dialogue, and Healey and Charles are effortlessly engaging in this small, entertaining movie.
