Ivan Kander
With all that has been written about dating—from love songs to romantic comedies—you’d think we would have a handle on it by now. But, nope…we’re all still clueless, really, when it comes to matters of the heart. Sam Boyd explores the universal grey areas of “does he?”/“did she?” in his mockumentary, In a Relationship. Premiering on Vogue and featuring some high-profile actors (Dakota Johnson, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Gallagher), this film is an impressively accurate representation of two kinds of relationships—the casual fling/hook-up that has the potential to turn into more and the five-year relationship that is slowly becoming stale.
It’s not that the topics Boyd covers feel particularly innovative—we’ve seen stories like this on camera before. Rather, it’s that his portrayal seems exceptionally real. The lies we tell, the stupid things we do in the name of love and infatuation—all of it finds a place in Boyd’s film. In turn, the short is less an examination of dating as a construct and is more a character study. The stupid clichés we all say (“I’m not ready for a commitment” or the classic “It’s not you, it’s me”) are really just platitudes used to mask larger personal issues—how can we be with someone if we don’t really understand ourselves and what we really want?
This isn’t to say that the film takes itself too seriously. It doesn’t. It’s a breezy 19 minutes, peppered with terrific dialogue and pop-culturally-relevant one-liners. While personally I’m not a huge fan of the mockumentary style (mainly because it feels like network TV sitcoms have oversaturated the form), it works here. It allows for a surprising amount of introspection between these characters (and, thankfully, gives us an opportunity to hear Peter Gallagher’s sultry voice).
With so many “relationship” films being sent our way, Boyd’s film is the rarity—a simple, funny, and shockingly honest portrayal of “real” people and how they interact. As Boyd related to Vogue, “I thought it was funny that romantic comedies were always about these made-up problems. ‘I met the perfect guy but, oh no, it turns out he’s a ghost! How is this ever going to work?’ The idea with In a Relationship was to dig deep into the things that really hinder romantic happiness.”
While the white middle class protagonists might limit some of the film’s reach (and who it relates to), ultimately, I would say that Boyd succeeded in his mission. It’s a film that should resonate with anyone who has ever been confused by the simple complexity that is love.