Cinephile No. 749 “Unlovable”
“We Get What We Think We Deserve,” a review of “Unlovable” by Nathan H. Box
Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM
Director: Suzi Yoonessi, Writers: Charlene deGuzman, Sarah Adina Smith, Starring: Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, Melissa Leo
Plot: “A sex and love addicted woman learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man.” -IMDB
Review: For my 15th and final film of the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival, I set my sights on a story about a woman who goes looking for love in all of the wrong places. By doing so, I learned about addiction, intimacy, and positive outlets; not necessarily what I look for when I head to the movies, but a wonderful surprise nonetheless.
In many ways, Joy, played by Charlene DeGuzman, is a walking disaster. She roams the Earth looking for the love she thinks she deserves. Thanks to her sex addiction, she is unfaithful to her boyfriend. She loses her job and doesn’t measure up the expectations of her parents. For Joy, the pain of life is becoming too much, and she begins looking for a way out. Things look hopeless until she meets people walking the same road as she is.
Joy discovers a sex addicts group and a sponsor; someone who can hold her responsible, be there to celebrate small wins, and pick her up when she falls down. For Joy, there will be a lot of rinsing and repeating because no addiction is conquered easily. Thanks to her circumstances, she moves into a small guest house behind the house of her sponsor’s mother. There she discovers a healthy outlet for her frustration. Music gives her something to focus her attention and delivers an unexpected friend via her sponsor’s brother.
“Unlovable” is about finding internal strength even in the face of something as monumental as a relapse. Joy reminds us to never quit trying in the most hilarious of ways. Just because we fail at resolutions or our own personal challenges, doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to try again. For this valuable lesson, I recommend curling up on the couch and streaming this one as soon as possible.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
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