Directed by Daniel Topic and written by stars Alan Hall and Gráinne Good, Sam and Sinéad play out their past, but something is different this time round.
Relationships have always been messy but in a modern society we embrace that even further, monogamy is slowly fading into obscurity and fluid, flexible arrangements are on the rise. Another Day lands somewhere in-between the two, embracing the classic idea of romance while bringing it into today. It holds a sentimental feel to its direction and cinematography, which is then emphasised even further by its score. However, where many would soften the visual along with that, here the aesthetic has a great clarity to strengthen the emotion. The editing allows the first half to quickly explore the evolution of a relationship from start to end. It’s done in a subtle fashion, using no dialogue and allowing the atmosphere and implications to speak for themselves.
The story surprisingly works better when the dialogue is minimal, unfortunately when it does come into play, it feels somewhat stereotypical. Its plot follows a familiar pattern, the draw of the ex, the lure of the familiar when the new isn’t as exciting. It works and deals with how romance can quickly go from intense to fickle but it’s just lacking a natural, flowing feel to the conversation. There also isn’t much detail to the characters, or their situation, a little fleshing out could have helped to make it feel more unique. Its song choice to round things out similarly goes down a cliched route and ends on an overly sentimental note.
Whereas the performances from Alan Hall and Gráinne Good strike a more individual note. They have a solid connection, both emotionally and romantically, easily creating the history which the opening briefly explores. It can only go so far without a larger depth from the dialogue to push it into more compelling territory. However, interestingly it does choose for these characters to not be inherently sympathetic, there is a questionable quality to the ethics of the story. Leading them to be relatable, in a classically fallible human manner, but based on their decisions, it will likely divide viewers on whether or not they find these characters likable. It’s a nice comment on how modern views of relationships and acceptable behaviours are evolving.
Another Day brings together classic fleeting romance with modern entanglements. Alan Hall and Gráinne Good have great chemistry and embrace the messy connection between their characters. However, the dialogue lacks a fluidity and natural feel, it’s going through the motions of the familiarity to this story and missing out on something more unique. There’s a nice sharpness to the visual and it’s edited well, it has a lot of elements with potential and just needed a bit of fine tuning to push it further.
FilmCarnage.com 