Written and directed
by Sarah Polley, Take This Waltz
follows a traditional romantic comedy narrative, but is vividly offbeat due to
Polley’s creative, non-naturalistic devices, which makes this an expressionist
rom-com.
The quirky character
traits (a fear of fear) can at first be confusing, as the characters seem too
exaggerated to be believable. However, once you realise the effect that Polley
is aiming to create, one where distortion and exaggeration express the emotion,
the film really takes hold. The film is set and shot in Toronto and Polley has
found locations of fantastic colour, both interior and exterior and in the use
of costumes to bring the film off the screen and reflect the mood.
The film rejects expected
conventions of rom-com while keeping the narrative very typical. A beautiful
underwater dance where the characters don’t touch says so much about the
relationship we are experiencing without the use of dialogue. And this form of
expression is what to expect from Take
This Waltz and also what makes it a unique rom-com, more memorable than
other films sharing the genre.
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