Taryll Baker
Apr 20, 20212 min
★★★
Directed by: #EricSwinderman
Written by: #EricSwinderman & #CarmenDeFranco
Starring: #BreckinMeyer, #EmilyKinney, #GiselleEisenberg, #DebraHerzog, #RickMontgomeryJr.
After a failed suicide attempt, a man receives a substantial inheritance from a long lost relative and meets a struggling single mom with an eccentric young daughter. Together they embark on a journey of self discovery and healing.
Casey (Breckin Meyer) is a man struggling with the tightening noose around his neck when he meets Jess (Emily Kinney), a waitress at a diner with a daughter who copes with PTSD. After a situation between Jess’ boss and Casey, Jess loses her job. Casey reflects on his actions that ended up affecting the lives of Jess and her troubled daughter, so he gets her job back using a bribe from some of the inheritance of his late aunt. The three explore themselves from within, using the new-found connection to assist in rehabilitation.
After a shaky start, The Enormity of Life begins to accelerate into its quirky but subtly serious journey of self-healing. There’s no shortage of questionable choices made in the script, but the acting duo of Meyer and Kinney seem to make it work for the most part. Their chemistry is convincing; a blossoming friendship that presents itself as unable to work initially, but quickly forms a wonderful mould. The two meet in an unfortunate situation, but then they connect and bond over their own experiences of trauma and family issues.
The story is fairly simple and spread thin, but the complexities of the characters is admirable. Though it isn’t something fresh that we’ve never seen before — a few films of this nature have come out in recent years — it tackles the topic of suicide and PTSD quite well. There’s a subtle darkness in the humour that doesn’t feel forced, though it could be seen as sharp and a little unfocused. That said, all the little details in the performances and the story itself become quite enjoyable once you adjust to the absurdity. The Enormity of Life focuses on trauma, yes, but it also strives to shine a light on the little things in life that can bring happiness or at least a smile from the most unexpected of places.
Swinderman’s direction is fittingly quaint for the smaller scale of this story. There are problems in the script, without a doubt, but the pin-point accuracy in the execution from both cast and crew makes The Enormity of Life a fairly enjoyable and somewhat relatable watch. This is a film that tells us it’s okay not to be okay, and that sometimes the things we need are right under our nose without ever realising it.
Watch the trailer for The Enormity of Life below.