#TheBoyDownstairs

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : The Boy Downstairs (2017)

The only thing tougher than getting into a relationship can be letting go of one.  People tend to go to drastic measures to provide the outward appearance of having moved on, but in the end, the real work is done internally.  You can put a thousand miles between yourself and an ex, but until you come to grips with your feelings, a hint of the past will always remain.  All of this and more is examined in the Sophie Brooks picture The Boy Downstairs.  

Diana (Zosia Mamet) returns from a three year vacation spurned by a breakup with her ex-boyfriend Ben (Matthew Shear).  She touches base with her friend Gabby (Diana Irvine), who hooks her up with realtor Meg (Sarah Ramos) in order to help her lock in an apartment.  Meg shows Diana a beautiful apartment and introduces her to owner Amy (Deirdre O’Connell), with whom she immediately connects, thus securing the apartment.  Much to the behest of Diana, however, it turns out that her downstairs neighbor is Ben, who also happens to be dating Meg.  With hopes of moving on from her bridal job and succeeding as a writer, Diana realizes that her proximity to her ex is forcing old habits and thought patterns to re-emerge, which makes moving on that much more difficult.

The way that love is portrayed in this film is refreshing.  Rather than being filled with over the top, rambunctious moments, the film is very grounded.  The conversations are handled without shouting and crocodile tears, the major gestures are at best off the cuff plans made in moments of desperation, and the idea of pressure is the major issue on both sides of the relationship.  The people involved are more down to earth than glamorous or model-like, and their concerns are ones that the average viewer can relate to.  If you’ve ever been in modern love, it’s hard not to see pieces of yourself somewhere in the film. 

An inability for or protagonist to move on is the true driving force of the film.  Be it a conscious decision to try to force a friendship on your ex for the sake of your own feelings, or be it the universe placing you directly above your ex in a city as expansive as New York, the narrative through line is all about echoes in the mind, and regrets about how things were handled the first time around.  Small moments trigger flashback memories to sentimental ones, and new moments are often put to rest as feelings from older moments emerge, keeping everyone trapped in a loop that keeps them connected without growth.

Ultimately, resolution is achieved through brutal honesty.  Diana is forced to accept the fact that all of her actions from the past few years have been distracting her from the things she really wants.  Ben is forced to be honest with himself (and Diana) in regards to the fact that he cannot be friends with an ex who pushed him away during his most vulnerable period.  Even supporting characters like Gabby and Amy end up coming to grips with truths that determine their life paths, respectively.

Zosia Mamet presents a charm that is sandwiched between deep feelings and an outward stoic nature, occasionally letting her guard down to be incredibly vulnerable.  Matthew Shear brings that quality that many young men have of making grand gestures without having the ability to address relevant issues directly, in hopes that the grand gestures will hold things together.  Diana Irvine kills in the best friend role, providing enough support to keep Mamet coming back, but enough truth to keep Mamet honest, all the while dropping in very natural bits of humor.  Deirdre O’Connell brings the wisdom of having loved and lost to the proceedings, having a perspective that none of the other characters are able to relate to directly due to a lack of experience.  Sarah Ramos plays an appropriate thorn in the side to Mamet, letting her perceptions of Mamet as a threat inform her actions.  Smaller appearances by David Wohl, Deborah Offner and Jeff Ward bring more life to the world of the film.  

I can’t lie, the only reason I jumped on this film was seeing Zosia Mamet on several pieces of promo.  Something about her demeanor spoke to me without saying a word, and it left me intrigued much more than the premise should have sparked.  This one was definitely a pleasant, under the radar discovery.