LFF 2020: Honeymood
LFFTalya Lavie's Iraliei comedy Honeymood is anything but its genre namesake. Granted, at the heart of this rather bizarre feature is a farcical chop for the excessive, but throughout its running time, Honeymood proposes nothing substantial to be enraptured by its narrative or remarks.
The biggest frustration is its voice and energy. Everything within Lavie's film is just lacking. It feels stifled and unsubsidised without a unique voice. Considering the background and setting of such a picture, it wouldn't be unexpected to have at least a single layer of socially conscious relevance, of which Lavie's film does not provide.
Gaza Mon Amour, for instance, is a feature that isn't too far away from this type of picture. Yet, even with a more niche subject matter, it is a film that is delicately produced and accommodating to a poignant subtext. It continues to elevate the already-engrossing material that it began with.
Regarding Honeymood, the feature substantially lacks on all merits. It simply boils down to the audience watching something incredibly quaint and opaque without meaning or interest. It even becomes monotonous in itself at times with how repetitive the cycle becomes. What transpires is just exactly what it proposes. Two characters, who are in the infancy of their marriage, are utterly bewildered with life and the choices they have made.
This is a narrative that could quickly brood into something delicate and poignant, yet it is never even on the radar of what might be. Even the aforementioned description might perhaps give more validation to proceedings compared to what truly transpires – a series of nonsensical and uninspiring slices of fate that separate the two characters in prolonged and uninspiring inorganic fashion.
The features performances, however, can be commended; they far outweigh the dullness and put the screenplay to shame, but again, are drastically undercut with what is available. Avigail Harari and Ran Danker are pretty much stellar in their respective performances. Both characters don't fall too far from the tree, but their arcs and circumstances elevate each character to a unique degree. However, considering the talent available, it is again a striking shame that Lavie's film cannot get out of second gear to become something more.
Then there is the problematic subtext present which evaluates depression and the military and, before long, the waters are so muddy it is barely identifiable as to what sort of beast Honeymood turns in to. Alas, Lavie's film is a disappointing feature, from its lack of socially consciousness, unwilling screenplay and overall aesthetic, nothing in Honeymood screams passion or interest.
