Written and directed by Kyle Vorbach, co-written by John Horan, who also stars in the film. Two will-they-won’t-they friends are keeping it simple this New Year’s Eve – until their house is crashed by a man from the future who tells them that the fate of the universe rests in their hands. Starring: Taylor Misiak, Ryan O’Flanagan and Gregory Santos.
It takes a fairly skilled hand to simultaneously create a piece of film that fits within a genre, while making fun of that genre and that’s exactly what Kyle Vorbach and John Horan do with Somewhere in Between. The writing captures the clichéd and ridiculous nature that romcoms often have while building one of their own. It’s a tricky balance to walk but it works really well here, it’s funny and clever with a lot of personality.
Something that viewers get even more from with the direction, it almost captures the same feel as you get from festive flicks. There’s a warmth to it, akin to a home-movie quality, though only in tone as the aesthetic itself is strong work. It has a great clarity and colour, elevating things slightly from just the everyday. It’s also edited well to add a quickness to the pace, inject a little bit of tension and suspense which really helps to accent the comedy.
Taylor Misiak and Ryan O’Flanagan are also excellent as Somewhere in Between’s leading, not quite couple, duo. They’re a big part of why walking that line between parody and romantic comedy works so well. Especially with Misiak throwing in some good sarcasm, the two have a natural chemistry while being able to take aim at the stereotypical, forced chemistry you most often find in the genre. John Horan’s performance is then the cherry on top to get the story going and round out the sense of humour.
Somewhere in Between cleverly manages to be both a satire of romantic comedies while creating an entertaining, sweet one of its own. There’s a superb trio of performances at its core, that help to create a lot of personality that’s then matched by the direction. It’s very well shot to add a heightened quality, which was another smart choice. Kyle Vorbach brings a very old-school, 1980s type feel that’s a lot of fun.
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