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★★★★
Directed by: Sergei Alexander
Written by: #SergeiAlexander Starring: Paul Stone, Jean-Philippe Boriau, Niamh Sullivan, Silva Beshi, James Knapp Indie Film Review by: #TaryllBaker
Your Eyes on Me Movie Review
Sergei Alexander’s Your Eyes on Me explores a romantic encounter between two drag artists. With colourful mundanity, the film knows precisely what it wants to ignite in the viewer and takes no time doing so with its short runtime. It’s at its most interesting when Alexander focuses solely on Paul Stone and Jean-Philippe Boriau’s characters, as they intertwine in a tangled but well-navigated relationship. The twists and turns may be surprising and perhaps far-fetched to some, but the execution is powerful and almost perfect. The performance from Jean-Philippe is wonderful, and he plays well across from his co-star Stone. I found the latter to be a mixed bag; both beautifully, internally traversed yet at times falling flat in delivery. However, believability remains unbroken and thus doesn’t damage or weaken the words being said. Supporting actors Niamh Sullivan, Silva Beshi and James Knapp are all joyous additions; their characters candid, aiding the lead performers with noticeable stability. The hair and makeup looks the part, supplying the actors with a frivolous and vivacious essence. Cinematographer Andrea Angelini captures everything with stillness that purposefully locks in on subjects from an intimate distance. Alex Wallace evokes a sense of hopefulness in his excelling score, with touches of bittersweet innocence and sorrowful charm. It aligns well with the sharp visuals, the camera always looking for a performance to get lost in, and the music looking to do the same. There is a story thread that opens up but then never really gets mentioned again, regarding family introductions and how difficult it can be for some. It would have been nice to see the director delve further into this, especially as it seemed to be a promising subject to survey, and something people in real life tend to struggle with. Nevertheless, it’s good that it was even touched upon in the first place. The narrative has its ups and downs like most, and while a few moments seem hard to believe, maybe due to its illicitness, I feel it’s part of what makes this film so uniquely different to what we’ve seen before. Most of the performances are stellar and the writing, although not as superb as the direction, is adequate enough. It piles up and up on itself, resulting in a state of melancholy without despair. Your Eyes on Me is a promising debut from Sergei Alexander.
Your Eyes on Me is currently available to RENT on the UK Film Channel.
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