Nov 8, 20192 min read

Another Version of You indie film review

★★★★

Written by: Motke Dapp

Starring: #KristopherWente, #BrittanyBelland, #SaraAntonio, #CJPerry

If Woody Allen had directed The Adjustment Bureau it may have looked a little like this indie comedy from writer and director Motke Dapp. Another Version of You (formerly known as Other Versions of You) is a high concept piece that manages to navigate the intrepid paths of interdimensional travel using a classic girl next door narrative.

Kristopher Wente plays Diggsy, a forlorn soul who we meet at the beginning of the movie drinking from a hip flask on the ground as the girl of his dreams Suzette (Sara Antonio) gets married to another dude. Basking in his gloom for just a moment, his misery is pierced by a stranger who offers him, literally, a key to solve his problems. This key will open any door and allow the user to step into an alternate reality. Weighing up the idea on a pros and cons list at first, our protagonist soon finds himself on a wild journey of self discovery.

As with the best movies that take a complex #sciencefiction premise and deliver it with #romance and #comedy (Like Richard Curtis' About Time) Another Version of You does so without getting bogged down with the technicalities. Diggy's newfound skeleton key to the universe is just that and we don't care about butterfly effects or the fact that the shape of the key wouldn't work on every door. Instead, Dapp focuses the audience's attention on the central character's search for true love, and the emotionally tumultuous journey he embarks on.

Wente is joined by a stellar cast. Brittany Belland plays his sister and offers a perfectly balanced portrayal of a woman in the pursuit of her own happiness. Sara Antonio is remarkable in the numerous iterations of Suzette, and C.J. Perry impresses as the aloof alternative Diggsy cannot seem to see right in front of him. Together, it's a great ensemble even if Wente overdoes the confused buffoon in certain scenes. When the big emotional notes get plonked, however, the leading man delivers.

The #filmmaking in Another Version of You is some of the most exciting of the year. Much like the aforementioned The Adjustment Bureau, Dapp's film is full of flight and fancy, keeping the viewer permanently on their toes. You can't predict what Diggsy is going to do with this enormous power and when characters start getting the door closed on them in different realities, the movie takes on a darker edge which keeps it unpredictable. The locations used are stunning and whimsical, with a vibrancy to the aesthetic which intelligently juxtaposes the themes of loneliness and hopelessness. A few montages are thrown in which keep the pace jaunty, as does a brilliant returning gag about a rather muscular coffee shop worker with a hefty slap.

One of the best indie comedies of the year, Another Version of You is a movie worth searching for. The immense production values and skillful storytelling mark Motke Dapp as a formidable filmmaker, and this will likely reignite an audience's passion for high concept romantic comedies.