Written and directed by Michael Thibault, co-written by Pedro Jimenez, Dave is a professional internet troll who lies for a living. Candace is in human resources at a blood lab with a bipolar boss. They meet online and circle the airport of their relationship, refusing to land. Starring: Jana Nawartschi, Ben Hicks, Lee Simonds, Chantal Lashon, Rebecca Reaney, Eric Lauritzen and Lisa Wharton.
Some films are built to take you completely outside of your own world and some are made to portray our everyday reality with all its faults and frustrations, Clocking the T lands firmly in the latter. Michael Thibault and Pedro Jimenez have created something to dial right into the complicated nature of relationships and trying to forge a work-life balance. It’s not a new topic but Thibault and Jimenez do take it in an interestingly new direction, never losing focus or slipping behind a rosy lens, they stick to their guns and tell it like it is, warts and all.
It’s an unusual choice and not all of it works as strongly as hoped but it has a clear, earnest foundation. Part of that is going against the typical romantic comedy tone, which actually creates a unique kind of anti-charm, in that it is charming but in a non-traditional, unexpected manner. Its bluntness and ability to not shy away from the messy parts of life create a quietly captivating atmosphere. Something that’s quite strongly in contrast with the forefront of Clocking the T which can be quite aggressive and conflict heavy.
However, while that works, it doesn’t always feel like the story is making progress and the flow can feel somewhat disjointed. At times the transitions between scenes almost feel like we’ve missed something. There also isn’t quite a perfect balance between the characters, making it unclear who they really want the focus to be on, as it doesn’t feel evenly split between the two. As while ultimately, its focus lands with Jana Nawartschi’s Candace but earlier on she feels like the supporting character while Ben Hicks’ Dave takes the lead.
Candace does also feel like the stronger choice, she has more redeeming factors, whereas Dave lands squarely in manchild territory so he’s an unusual choice of lead, although in fairness if you consider the history of romantic cinema, he’s not even slightly an outlier. Regardless, to Ben Hicks’ credit he manages to instil all those selfish, one-track minded, slightly sexist, inconsiderate qualities into Dave, without actually making him dislikable which is quite impressive. It makes it all the more satisfying when he has those brief moments of attempting to be better and more open, for the sake of his relationship.
Something that is nicely balanced is his personality in comparison with Candace, Jana Nawartschi may generally have the higher ground, but Thibault and Jimenez aren’t trying to make her out as perfect. She has her own eccentricities and flaws to figure out. There’s a strong chemistry between Hicks and Nawartschi, one that’s rife for both love and conflict. Their mixture of battles and blossoming romance is well done, never letting it find its feet fully, keeping things up in the air and being a great example of how even in the earliest stages, relationships are work.
That’s well supported by the atmosphere which Michael Thibault creates, it’s never heavy but also has that disillusioned background. It creates the space for bigger exploration, which we don’t always find but there are some nice scenes of self-realisation and vulnerability. The directorial style is humble, but it never feels overly still, it brings through the edge of chaos from the lives of its characters. The story isn’t always there to back it up, it feels like there was more to explore but there’s a genuine commitment to realism. Especially when it comes to Dave’s job which nicely touches upon how society has fallen into a pattern of hateful, selfish behaviour, particularly with online anonymity, something that has only grown further since the film was made.
Clocking the T bluntly yet romantically explores the minefield of relationships, trying to find the time to build one when you’re too busy with work, and the difficulty and hesitancy in making yourself vulnerable when you do find someone. It traverses all the obstacles and frustrations in an honest way while also actually creating a genuine connection and chemistry. Jana Nawartschi and Ben Hicks both give great performances and are both at their strongest in the most emotional moments, which isn’t always a given, so it’s lovely to see it here. The intentions are clearly there, and it’s a good concept but the way that the story moves lacks flow and it doesn’t progress as far as hoped. There’s a solid tone and vision, it just doesn’t quite live up to its full potential.
FilmCarnage.com 