Something You Said Last Night (Canada)

I am all in for slice of life films, especially when they center around dysfunctional families where you get to see some drama. But I am also not for films like this one, where literally nothing happens. The film is essentially about a young post-op trans woman who goes on a vacation wither parents and her sister.  And her inner struggle to stay independent while also enjoying the comfort of someone caring for her. And thats it. There is no conflict or discussion around her being trans, in fact, it's not even the topic here, which makes me wonder why was this character chosen to be trans and what was the whole point. IMO , this character literally could have been any age, any gender and it wouldn't have made any difference whatsoever.

Renata is a trans woman, who has lost her job but not told her parents. She is on a week long vacation with her parents and sister. She is a person of few words, and ducks behind doors and absconds to the lake to vape and contemplate, her chin resting on her knees; her body curled into itself, a protective stance against the world. We never really get know what's really happening in her head. And the whole movie is just about a family of four bickering and fighting about petty things. More explosive confrontations will happen too, as the vacation hours stretch into days and the cottage starts to feel claustrophobic.  The mother is always complaining to either daughters or husband. The husband is quite type who just listens to everything. The sisters confrontations are vicious exchanges of harsh sentiments, followed by moments of loving intimacy. The premise is neat needing to tell her parents she left the job and thats it.

Is Renata depressed? How introspective is she? It's hard to tell because the screenplay doesn't do an adequate job of providing a window into her heart, mind and soul. There's not enough comic relief, surprises or memorable scenes; and after a while I was asking myself why am I watching this film of a family on a holiday? Ren and her family don’t bicker about her transition — that aspect of her life is accepted, received with warmth and occasionally clumsy care. Their fights are familiar to small families with grown children and aging parents. Yes, the performances are good and the actress playing the lead is remarkable, but what do I do with that, when the story itself doesn't exist? What is it really that the film is trying to say here? I am really struggling to understand why critics are going gaga over this film, (but then of late I am finding myself keeping my distance form films that critics love, recent Oscar winners being an example). I understand that this has been made by a trans film maker, loosely inspiring events from her own life, but just this fact doesn't make a film good. For now, for me, this film is just shallow and underwhelming. It's just as bland as its title. (1.5/10)