:: Crush

The mysteries of female friendship are explored intelligently in British filmmaker John McKay’s film “Crush”. He escapes the trappings of most romantic comedies and conjures up real, complicated emotions into the story. This is McKay’s first feature film and it is strictly an adult film. It makes you laugh and makes you think. Men can embrace the female friendship theme, while women are likely to muse over it for hours.

Kate (Andie MacDowell) is a single American expatriate who is headmistress at a private school in a village in the English countryside. Janine (Imelda Staunton) is a divorced mother. She has a fiery personality. Molly (Anna Chancellor) is a doctor and habitual casualty of dysfunctional relationships. The three women are best friends and meet often to share their romantic experiences. In fact, these meetings are the most amusing scenes in the film, as they recount each other’s gripes about their pitiful lives.

When Kate falls for a much younger man, Jed (Kenny Doughty). Jed was one of her students ten years ago and is now the organist at the campus chapel. He has a boyish appeal for Kate to express herself. The weekly meetings are thrown off course. Jed makes Kate feel so feminine, even though she knows that her love is unconventional, She has a renewed sense of sexuality. Janine and Molly object and plot to break the relationship. The film then enters some bizarre territories, with a series of twists that are often jarring. It offers enough surprises, however, to keep the journey interesting.

The very believable characters bring out the themes very well as the film turns seriously. Andie MacDowell puts in her best work in years. She offers an engaging portrait of a complex woman who has survived life’s ups and downs. Newcomer Kenny Doughty is able to be very communicative through his facial expressions, and plays Jed with aplomb.

McKay employs a clever visual style. The photography by Henry Braham is superb. “Crush” mixes slapstick, poignancy, tragedy and wit. It gives good value for the moviegoer, and is an effective take on modern women.

Screening at Rivoli Cinemas, Cinema Europa and Classic Cinemas