Everyone Back To Ours

A young, struggling artist tries to understand what the point of his work is.

 

Set in Hull-UK City of Culture, this low-budget feature includes improvised dialogue explores the life of painter Ellis, who appears to have forgotten what the meaning of his creativity is. He attemtpts to rediscover his passion for art, while dealing with issues concerning his social life.

 

This drama has a rather slow pace and looks at themes of self-discovery, friendship and making contributions to the world. The audience observes Ellis as he spents time painting in his studio, as he socialises with friends, attends art exhibitions and concerts and learns about what it means to be an artist with the help of another painter. His voice-over is often heard, expressing his views regarding life and art. There is a lot of discussion about being a good artist, making plans for the future and texting.

 

As the main character, Todd is convincing as a man who loves painting but seems to be disillusioned and awkward. He wishes to know the true meaning of being a painter if he is to dedicate his life to that. The supporting cast also do a good job.

 

The movie is separated into chapters, each of which begins with a title card announcing the chapter's title. There are well executed point-of-view shots that include fisheye lens and the soundtrack is entertaining. In the interest of avoiding offence, it should be mentioned that there is brief but very graphic nudity.

 

Is this a viewing experience worth pursuing? Generally, the film feels overlong, with some scenes lasting longer than necessary. The main character does not come across as particularly interesting and neither does some of the dialogue. The subject matter concerns finding out who one is, what one wants to achieve in life, which is intriguing and if one is interested in such subjects, then they should give this feature a go.