Directed by Emerson Adams and written by Malcolm Vanderwoude, follows the lives of two people struggling to maintain control amidst the messy reality of an unpredictable life. Joshua, a young man turns to writing to process his grief after the passing of his sister. Mallory, a young woman who finds her life crumble in front of her over the course of one awful day. Starring: Jonathan Erwin, Tammy Sanow, Lucy Borchers, Timothy J. Cox, Bryson Schultz, Zamani Munashe, Zach Holt and Sam Ribbler.
There’s one key tone that Emerson Adams and Malcolm Vanderwoude build with Rewriting Mallory, and that’s an old-fashioned, wholesome sweetness. It’s something that infects the film in its entirety, touching the direction, cinematography, editing and narration. It may be a touch over sentimental for some people, it’s akin to the style of 1990s romance. The aesthetic itself is quite simple but it’s supported by some strong direction and well done editing which balances out what it’s missing in colour and vibrance.
When it comes to the writing, the catalyst of the story is one of those that will either work for you or it won’t because it is quite a big swing. It’s of two worlds, in the larger sense it does work and creates a few touching moments, including a nice final flourish but the way that it’s introduced is rocky. It presents a rather large shift in tone, which when you’re working with something so sentimental, it’s tricky to pull off smoothly. Ultimately, it feels like it didn’t have strong enough footing to take that step confidently.
On the other hand, one of its strongest elements which helps to put some balance back into things is the performance from Jonathan Erwin. While his narration can feel saccharine, his physical performance is much more convincing, creating a charming, kind personality. He builds a sensitive, smart and considerate persona for Joshua. Tammy Sanow similarly creates very relatable and sympathetic qualities to Mallory. Kicking off her spiralling day with an unpleasant visit with her boss, a quintessential unforgiving and condescending type brought to life by Timothy J. Cox.
Rewriting Mallory is filled with an old-fashioned sweetness, throwing back to some beloved romance flicks of the 90s. It can overly lean into the sentimentality at times but it has the best of intentions. Erwin creates a great leading character with a big kindness and finds strong pairing with Sanow, Joshua’s initially faced with her aggression after a terrible day, yet it naturally evolves into a touching connection. The cinematography and colouring aren’t quite where they need to be but that’s mostly offset by the quality of Emerson Adams’ direction and some solid editing work.
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