Written and directed by John Monahan, Gerry is a widower trying to get back out there when his younger friend, Sam, invites him for a charity speed date, he’ll find out that meeting new people may not be as easy as he remembered. Starring: Trevor Gill, Larry Cowan, Matthew Sharpe, Michael Smyth, Ryan Pendleton, Stephen Don, Sean Boyle and Stephen Healy.
As Owner of a Lonely Heart opens there’s a palpable nervousness, capturing that internal struggle of deciding whether or not you’re ready to put yourself out there. As the film moves forward, it has a very wholesome feel, there’s a simple nature to it, exploring loneliness, loss, compassion and connection. However, while it holds a genuine sweetness, it can feel a little bit too simple, that the story isn’t developing enough or adding different layers to take things a bit further.
Part of that is the performance from Trevor Gill, it captures the emotion and struggle of the story but can feel as though it’s pushing too hard at times. Gill communicates the feelings well enough that he could have scaled back and gone for a bit more subtlety to let each moment land on its own. Whereas Larry Cowan and Matthew Sharpeplay things a bit more naturally and casually, and they’re playing such empathetic, kind characters. They do a good job of trying to balance out the tone and give the film an organic feel, as well as providing a space for Gerry’s character to open up.
One of the more surprising elements is perhaps the direction, John Monahan injects a lot of colour into the scenes, giving an edge of vibrancy that was an interesting choice. Exploring the theme of grief, you may expect it to air on the side of a refined and quite muted palette but instead Monahan adds more energy. The style feels more connection to the resilience and encouragement to put yourself out there, translating the sad sides to the story but focusing on the positive.
Owner of a Lonely Heart is a sweet and touching tale of rediscovering yourself after the loss of a loved one. It can sometimes come on a little too strong, doing more heavy lifting than it needed to but it has a very wholesome foundation. You can strongly feel the intention by John Monahan to create something with compassion and empathy, and that’s something we’ll always need more of.
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