Written and directed by lead actress Talita Maia, following Marianne (Maia), a young Brazilian woman who is dating a charming but troubled American writer (Evan Williams).
Exploring toxic and abusive relationships is an important task in today’s world because often people don’t recognise the signs of being emotionally manipulated or unhealthily co-dependent. Terminally Unique touches upon those themes, especially the selfish, arrogant or guilt tripping behaviour that can trap a partner. However, at the same time relationships are a topic that has been explored so frequently, that you need a unique edge to set it apart and it doesn’t feel as though this film has that. It’s a familiar story and the path that it chooses feels somewhat unsatisfying. You can see the logic behind the choices, given that there’s only a brief time to explore the subject, but it feels as though too much of its time is spent establishing itself.
Those choices don’t leave a lot of room to bring an impactful ending or delve into a few additional layers to the themes. It ticks the boxes for a drama, it’s genuinely solid work but there’s no strikingly individual quality or unexpected aspect to the plot to push it past that. Although it does dip its toes into the idea of generational addiction which is an interesting element. Ultimately, the way that it visually and thematically presents itself makes a relevant point about unhealthy relationships but it’s not one that packs a punch.
Taking on triple duty as writer, director and lead actress, Talita Maia is reliable across the board. She brings a great relatable and sympathetic feel to Marianne, it’s easy to feel for her struggle to balance life, work and putting herself first. Her character presents a very accessible representation of what countless women across the world are experiencing. Similarly as Evan Williams portrays the quicksand of boyfriends, the classic push and pull of trying to get away from someone but they always have their hooks in. Together they create a good balance of conflict and romance to capture that co-dependency.
Terminally Unique taps into the highly apt subject of unhealthy relationships but feels like it doesn’t fulfil its potential. It gets to grips with establishing their relationship but it ends before it can delve into the aftermath or more complex layers. The writing and direction are solid work but they stay within a safe arena, missing out on bringing a definitively unique or harder hitting style. The performances from Maia and Williams are similarly strong but they’re also very familiar.
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