Easy Living (2017)

I stumbled upon this gem of an indie by Adam Keleman and anchored by the phenomenal acting of Caroline Dhavernas. The film was incredibly well written and directed, and the acting by Caroline Dhavernas was more than impressive. I found that the struggles of the main character, Sherry, who perhaps was quite misunderstood, as she tried to find her way, were very relatable. Sherry was ambitious in her career and very caring, as was evidenced in numerous scenes, but at the same time struggled to actually find herself and figure out a way to attain the things she truly wanted out of life. I look forward to more projects from Adam Keleman, Caroline Dhavernas, the supporting cast and crew (the cinematography was remarkably impressive - particularly for what I understand was a no to low budget film) those that are already accomplished and those that are just making a name for themselves.

The movie is about Sherry, a sex addict, bar star who has finally decided to start thinking about her future. Sherry while quirky her life is a wreck, she lives out of a cheap motel, sells makeup door to door, seeks out random one night stands at her local bar and left her daughter to be raised by her sister. Despite what her life has been she has decided to turn it around and developed a dream but lacks the way to fund it. That is, until an unexpected stranger gets in to her car. Without giving to much of the movie away this is where I straddled the fence with where the plot evolved. It was difficult to grasp that a woman in this situation would respond this way but then I realized Sherry is a sex addict. It's worth the watch for something different.

A truly excellent character study, anchored by strong, believable performances and nuanced writing. Sherry's struggle with getting herself onto the ladder that she has until now ignored, and the existential despair that entails, is easy to relate to. The director (Adam Keleman) imbues the proceedings with a touch of absurdity, just enough to make it feel as if the universe is aligned against her. And a jarring final act initially seems out of place until it fits squarely into Sherry's path towards self-actualization. A tiny gem.

Easy Living seemed to be warmly-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It is entertaining quirky film about Sherry Graham, a door-to-door makeup saleswoman, who is struggling to fix her rather messy life. The writer/director Adam Keleman has crafted a strong lead character. The lead actress, Caroline Dhavernas, delivers a really strong performance. Sherry is trying to turn a corner and escape her dead end job and really her dead end life. While much of the film is entertaining and provocative, the bizarre ending doesn't really do the rest of the movie justice. It is as if the Keleman wrote himself into a corner and couldn't figure out how to get out of it so he just came up with a completely unanticipated and illogical way to resolve the story. It is unfortunate, because it undermines the intelligence nuanced writing and acting that had occurred up to that point.