The Lonely Crowd

A first date goes dangerously wrong in this feature-length romance thriller from filmmaker David St. Clair.

The Lonely Crowd stars Adam Wesley as Peter, a former baseball player (now injured) whose cynicism about life and love has left him pretty bitter about everything. 

After being pushed into a date by his friend, he meets Ashley (Taylor Anne Danehower), whose late arrival and preempting of Peter's drink order spark hostility right away. Things get worse in the parking lot as we discover Ashley has some violent men from her past looking for her. In order to stay ahead and stay alive, the pair must work together and keep this reluctant date going.

Like a begrudging buddy cop movie, these pals in transit make for a wonderful onscreen pair. The chemistry between Wesley and Danehower does a lot of heavy lifting, balancing the onscreen tension and action, with some excellent explorations of modern relationships. The audience gets to hear an honest and potent exchange from both the male and female points of view on why it’s so hard to find a compatible partner in the digital age. Ashley calls out Peter on his constant deflections, and likewise, Peter calls Ashley out for her lying. This adds a wonderful depth to the movie.

The menace within the film is well-written, with the involvement of corrupt cops and a terrifying escaped prisoner (a great performance from Giancarlo Carmona); there is a formidable atmosphere of peril throughout the movie that especially lingers during Peter and Ashley’s more intimate moments. We never feel fully peaceful whilst they are on the run. Shout out to Andrew Mena for providing a brilliantly funny motel manager.

Pacing is an issue within The Lonely Crowd, with a lethargic start setting up Peter’s (albeit necessary) backstory and some of the dialogue-heavy scenes needing a healthy edit; some viewers may find the momentum a little lacking at times. It’s a film that leans more into the romance side of things than the action, and if you are on board with the script (which I was), then it is a film to delve into for its character development and nuanced exploration of themes.

For an indie film, an impressive array of locations is used, and the score has some beautiful moments of enhancing the emotion of the scenes. There is a particular point in the film where an acoustic guitar strikes up and highlights Peter’s melancholy perfectly.

Rough around the edges, as you would expect on a budget, but engaging, well-written, and commendably performed. A film worth swiping right on (do the kids still say that?).