Middle Life | Confident Storytelling On Display

Let me start off by saying that I’m biased towards indie cinema. I’m not ashamed of it, and it certainly doesn’t cloud my opinions on independent films. I still expect the same high level of writing and filmmaking from indie films, as I would from big studio productions. Just because the big studios have more money, more toys, more tools, more people…and just plain more of everything, they sometimes get a pass when it comes to storytelling.

Indie cinema doesn’t get that pass. More often than not, an audience doesn’t know the actors and actresses in the movie. There’s no expensive blue-screen enhanced action scene. No script that’s been written by numerous uncredited writers, workshopped by focus groups and noted to death by studio executives.

Middle Life is an independent movie that presents two people, each struggling in their lives, suddenly thrusted together by fate in the form of a one-vehicle accident. It’s not quite a meet-cute, but this isn’t only a rom-com. It’s a coming-of-age tale for adults, something many people experience at various stages of their adulthood. Yes, it’s a weird secret that no one talks about, but we don’t stop learning or growing or coming of age when we become adults. It’s an ongoing process.

Leah Fay Goldstein as Andie

We meet Andie, played by Leah Fay Goldstein, a wedding planner who relies on her calendar to navigate through her life. Andie’s life seems like it should be a good one, right? New bab. Loving husband. But something is missing. Something is off, and no matter how much Andie tries to control her life, it’s not solving the problem.

When Andie meets Ryan one night, after the aforementioned car accident, it sets her down a path to rediscover herself. But she’s not the only one. Ryan, played by Peter Dreimanis, is a plumber who struggles with the aftermath of the accident that has left his father mentally impaired. He, too, is experiencing a life less extraordinary.

Peter Dreimanis as Ryan

Director Pavan Moondi weaves this story with confidence, having a firm grasp on the characters’ internal dilemmas. He knows these characters just as much as Goldstein and Dreimanis, and that knowledge is evident on the screen. Nothing feels forced. Conversations don’t feel like their written, but lived in.

Middle Life is the type of story you would see regularly in the late 80s and early 90s. Smart writing, sincere performances and ultimately a story where you’re rooting for these two main characters to find happiness, even if it’s not with each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrUgAwA9Z_Y

Yes, we can see the cracks in the ‘perfect’ life of Andie, and she knows those cracks are there, but pushes forth hoping she and her husband will figure it all out. But as we already know, that’s never how it works. Ryan’s life is a bit more of a mystery to the audience. He wears the mask of a man who loves life, treasures spontaneity, and finds joy in the little things, but he’s hiding from the truth which manifests itself in a biological way.

The movie is at its a strongest when Andie and Ryan are together. Goldstein and Dreimanis have a great chemistry in their scenes together. The conversations are rooted in reality, creating a world where we’re all friends with two people like this. These characters are flawed with each other and the world. Ryan’s naivety about things is highlighted when he befriends a man living out of his own car.

Middle Life is well-written, confidently directed film that, yes, is a rom com, but it’s also so much more. If you’re one of those cinema-goers who crave films and stories written for adults, look no further than Middle Life.