“Bread And Butter” is a film that is meant to shine.
Much more than a charming romantic comedy (which it is), the film is an exhibit of a work that we ought to aspire from the studio system. Not simply a movie made from a women’s perspective, but a great piece of art in general. An engrossing character exploration with writing infused with a dark wit and a sharp mind.
Izzy, Liz Manashil’s alter ego, was inspired by her own experiences to write and direct the film. The screenplay has a Woody Allen-ish vibe, but minus the morbid fascinations.
The narrative and plot follow Amelia (Christine Weatherup), a 30 year old woman in a sullen, repetitive lifestyle who works in a doctor’s office, buried in novels, and still, infuriatingly untouched. Her story focuses on her search for Mr. Right and is propelled by handwritten notes she discovers tucked inside her second-hand books.
But this synopsis gives a sense of being stuck in a repetitive formula and goes in a super disservice of the film.
Amelia’s surroundings give the audience a sense of contrasts. The surroundings and architecture are filled with lustrous yellows and are teeming with life, but Amelia herself is a dreary character. She is passive about the colors present in her life; her office, home and even her clothing are all draped in tedious reds and browns. Moreover, while Amelia is riding her bicycle, she is also completely uninterested in the beauty of the world around her.
“Bread and Butter” is a romantic comedy unlike most of them since it is a slower paced film and portrays the life of an anti-heroine. In this case, Amelia is socially terribly awkward and quite painful to watch in social situations. Rather than the traditional formula of the audience sitting back and watching a love story unfold, this film is more about making sure that the audience stays captivated with Amelia’s extremely shy personality.
The director of the film was very mellow, and scenes were captured in a more no-nonsense manner. It is clear that Manahel, the director, wants the audience to understand how the script does most of the storytelling. Moreover, he always has a fresh perspective which elevates the dialogues to make them more humorous.
Although there is a semblance of a love triangle present in the plot of the film, it makes more sense while paying attention to the protagonist, who does not participate in the action of the movie; instead the film is centered on her.
Carrying an entire film is no ordinary task but Weathered seems to be a natural at it. The combination of comedy and tragedy is always difficult, yet her work here is effortless. Richard Weather up easily makes a woman with a wide range of quirks and her manners to come off as both loveable and achingly real. The character could have easily been overplayed by an incalculably weaker actor’s performance, but not with Weather up.
Alongside Weather up, Bobby Moynihan is arguably just as brilliant. He uses his reputation from SNL to craft a remarkable representation of internal anxiety. Watching him just sit on a couch is a treat of its own, his facial areas suggesting a baby bear that just saw its own reflection and was horrified by it.
The depiction of female friendship is beautifully executed between Weather up and Lauren Lapsus. Last we saw Lauren she was sensationally running away from dinosaurs which part of some less known franchise, but in this situation she plays the role of adorable friend Deirdre who laughs and glances in a scene stealing fashion without even trying to.
There is a wonderful balance of quirkiness and beauty in the characters which stems from the film crew comprising of mostly women. It is shocking how this approach is still alien to the film industry on the whole but it surprisingly adds a sense of authenticity to the film.
There current notions of femininity within any society is dealt with, to their credit, with brutal frankness. The film starts with the main character indulging in self-pleasure while receiving no respite for the rest of the movie. Not all is devoid of sophisticated beauty as let us not stray into the realm of gross out gags. This is not a cinematic venture into a girl with prank ejaculate in her hair for comic effect. It is an exploration of solitude, of the quest for the missing piece, who in this case might just be oneself.
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