Lawrence Michael Levine's Wild Canaries is playful piece of filmaking that dances the line between screwball comedy, mystery/thriller, and indie drama, managing varying degrees of success with each. The film follows Barri and Noah, a couple who begins to suspect that the mysterious death of their elderly neighbor, Sylvia, may be more than meets the eye. While Noah is skeptical that foul play is involved, shunning his girlfriend as immature and having an overactive imagination, Barri wholeheartedly believes their neighbor Anthony is responsible for the murder, snooping around with her friend Jean in an effort to unearth the truth. Wild Canaries is an unpredictable narrative that is sometimes fun, but unfortunately the film is unable to capture the same magic as the old-school suspense comedies it seems to be drawing inspiration form. The script itself is sharp and whimiscal but it doesn't quite manage the balance between comedy and horror particularly well, relying far too heavily on music to create a sense of suspense and dread around its characters. The script itself just doesn't seem quite capable of matching the same enthusiasm and playfulness of its acting and directing, never pushing the envelop far enough to be truly engaging or memorable. The film's best attribute is the odd couple dynamic between its two leads, two individuals who the viewer finds themselves questioning how they ever got together in the first place. What becomes apparent as this story unfolds is that Wild Canaries uses the mysterious circumstances of a neighbors' death to explore the pitfalls and shortcomings of Barri and Noah's relationship, which becomes further strained when the couple can't agree on the cause of their neighbors' death. Flawed but made with vigor and enthusiasm, Wild Canaries captures how every relationship needs a little adventure and mystery to remain alive.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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