The Broken Hearts Gallery
sonyIn The Broken Hearts Gallery, Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) works as a gallery assistant, and also happens to be kind-of-sort-of dating her boss, Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar). After a cringeworthy breakup and also getting fired, Lucy mistakes Nick’s (Dacre Montgomery) car for a Lyft – cue the meet-cute. Naturally, Lucy and Nick run into each again and soon begin working together. Nick is working on building a boutique hotel; Lucy decides to help him out in exchange for gallery space. Every rom-com heroine has at least one quirky characteristic and Lucy’s is that she keeps (hordes) souvenirs from her past relationships, creating a mausoleum of old boyfriends in her apartment bedroom. At the encouragement of her friends, Lucy sets out to create the Broken Heart Gallery on the walls of the hotel.
Just like every rom-com, The Broken Hearts Gallery focuses on the developing relationship between Lucy and Nick, but Lucy is the film’s heroine. Lucy is lively and charming, it is so clear that she puts her entire heart into every aspect of her life. Making the heartbreak hit harder than it should when whatever relationship she’s currently in ends. Lucy also has an intense desire to remember everything, not just her relationships. At a diner with her friends, she steals a salt shaker, for the memories. While her behaviour has always been questionable, with this last breakup, Lucy realizes it’s time to change. By working on the Broken Heart Gallery, Lucy is able to gain closure. She puts items on the walls of the hotel, detailing when and why they broke up. Her idea really takes off when other people bring their own items to the gallery. The film interspersed with talking heads interviews from these contributors, detailing their own experience of heartbreak.
At times, Lucy can be a frustrating character; the audience’s exasperation is often shown through her two friends Nadine (Philippa Soo) and Amanda (Molly Gordon). They are with Lucy at every stage of romance, taking bets on the exact point a relationship will fail, badgering her to get rid of her collection of heartbreak junk. But like any good friends, they are always there for Lucy when she needs them the most, bundling her up in a blanket with a pint of ice cream and throwing on a DVD of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A great thing about The Broken Hearts Gallery is that every one of its characters is properly developed and interesting. Lucy’s friends are more than her support system. Philippa Soo brings Nadine to life as a lesbian vixen, acting as a teacher for Lucy when it comes to breakups. While Molly Gordon’s Amanda is the more cynical one, a law student with a love of horror and a silent boyfriend, Jeff (Nathan Dales of Letterkenny fame). Jeff never says a word, his face always buried in a video game, yet he happens to be the film’s most hilarious character.
Geraldine Viswanathan is quickly becoming a shining star after appearing in Blockers and Hala. In The Broken Hearts Gallery, she is nothing less than a vision. Yes, Lucy’s choices can be immensely frustrating, but Viswanathan’s eclectic energy keeps her insanely likeable. You get upset with Lucy’s behaviour but it’s only because Viswanathan forces you to love her so much that you just want the best for her. She’s funny, she’s endearing, she totally crushes it as the soul of The Broken Hearts Gallery. Viswanathan also has great chemistry with Dacre Montgomery’s Nick. He is the subdued counterpart to Lucy’s liveliness, balancing Viswanathan’s charm and charisma with a slow and serious performance. Nick’s focus is building his boutique hotel, a discouraging endeavour because funds are running low and problems keep arising. Yet this also happens to be a good thing, as the hotel is what brings Nick and Lucy together.
The Broken Hearts Gallery is clearly inspired by the classic romantic comedies of the early 2000s. While remaining true the rom-com zeitgeist, writer and director Natalie Krinsky has said the film was inspired by her own personal breakups and learning of the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. With meet-cutes, karaoke parties and apartments you’re really not sure how the characters can afford, The Broken Hearts Gallery neatly finds its place among the plethora of other romantic comedies. But with the talented Geraldine Viswanathan and Lucy’s insanely funny crew, The Broken Hearts Gallery brings a breath of fresh air to the genre.