500 days of summer…

This is the best film. I   am pretty fussy when it comes to choosing my favourite.Yes there are plenty of fish in the sea, but I am looking for a specific fish ; it has to be  charming , unique,  and   most of all have a great look.  I sat down in that   cinema , my purse  traumatised by the sheer amount it has lost , prepared  to tackle a mountain of adverts and as soon as my ears heard that deep husky voice belonging to the narrator  I knew it was love.

This cunning, witty and self-proclaimed indie film first came onto the big screen in   2009. This film was not thrust at the screens with the mighty force of adverts and promotional tours, it was more of a silent strut, you didn’t hear it coming, but when you saw it … damn it was good! 500 days of summer was a Sleeper Hit, earning a tasty $60 million.

500 days of summer tell the story   of  Tom Hansen falling in love with  a girl far out of his league Summer Finn. The non – linear narrative   takes a memory driven look at their failed relationship. However as brilliant minded people,   we know it was down to one slight clue,the line “ I don’t believe in love”  delectably delivered by doll eyed,  plumped lipped Zooey Deschanel. (Can someone get this girl an Oscar?)

Still as polite people, we   share their special moments, initially bonding over  a shared passion for  British band the “ Smiths “ , which then developed into  Karaoke  nights, drunken fights and romantic  city walks.   We watch the architect  turned   card writer  fall in love  with the  hot  office assistant   and cringe long with his two  less than supportive mates to Toms pure blindness of the inevitable ending of the relationship.

 There are so many things that are right about this film.The colour  pallet throughout the whole film  is bright, yet  slightly pale to keep that old school feel. The range of shot techniques  is incredible, with close up shots of Summers beautiful features, to a wide shot displaying the unique side of an urban area. However one gem that stood out was Toms venture to Summers party, the screen was split displaying  reality and  Toms expectations. This never seen before technique provides a beautiful climax to the film when Tom realises it is in fact Summers engagement party.(Oh how we hate reality. )

 It must take a genius to encapsulate 500 days of a dysfunctional relationship into 2 hours of bliss entertainment… or just a damn good director. Low and behold Mark Webb … this being his first  huge film  he has certainly rose up to the challenge in creating a  very successful  rom- com . We can now see that 500 days has become a platform for him to move on to greater things and has continued to make many fans  very happy when he was hired   by Columbia Pictures  to direct  “The amazing spider man.”

I truly admire  the writers’   ability to  create such a brilliant recipe for the  perfect  comedy drama . Scott Nevstadter  and  Michael  H Weber  have gone beyond  your generic rom com and created a film  with such a brilliant concept.  As an audience we are not spoon fed   on what emotions we should feel, but we are left to our own devises to depict   your own    feelings and emotions throughout the film .Near the end  when we see Summer display her engagement to a heart broken Tom , some may think BITCH, but I think WOW what a film.

Rebecca Painter