Entanglement

Entanglement [2017] is a dramedy about Ben, played by Thomas Middleditch, and his quest to find a reason for being. It begins with Ben’s failure to commit suicide in his apartment, a few scenes later his father has a heart-attack and thinking he may only have a few moments to live, tells Ben that he almost had an adopted sister. Ben quickly turns his attention to finding the almost-sister, played by Jess Weixler. Obviously, you can see where things go from there. The two engage in a romantic relationship until director Jason James and writer Jason Filiatrault get creative with an ending that will leave you wanting to re-watch from the beginning to connect the dots.

The Co-Stars. The film sputters along like most indies until Thomas Middleditch and Jess Weixler meet each other. That is when the film bursts off the screen. James captures them so beautifully in quite a few scenes that it makes you wonder if anyone else could’ve directed this film. Middleditch’s acting was top notch particularly later in the film, but I honestly could find no faults with either of them.

The Writing. Jason Filiatrault’s script is ambitious and while I don’t think he hit everything out of the park, it is very difficult to do with these types of films. I respect the uniqueness of the film, the third act, the twist. I wish there were more independent films like these.

The Tone. The only way that this movie could pull off the trick that it pulls off in the final act is the specific tone that it keeps throughout the film. There are rare moments of supernatural phenomena happening, however, it seemed grounded and never lost its footing. 

Two terrific lead performances and an engaging script
lead the way in this surprisingly deep dramedy.