Written and directed by leading actor Raffaello Degruttola, trust is weaponised in this obsessive love story that blurs the line between love and deceit. Also starring: Lyndsey Marshal, Sule Rimi, Nathalie Armin, Stephen Campbell Moore, Andrea Lowe and Edward Hayter.
When it comes to issues of manipulation, coercion, jealousy and mistrust in relationships, they’re inherently charged so you would imagine the atmosphere of To Love a Narcissist would emulate that but sadly, it does not. It’s a key problem that’s stridently holding the film back from being what it wants to be. It’s entirely missing the ups and downs associated with these types of relationships, those highs and lows and the consequent emotions and fallout are an integral part of the topic, and they don’t work well here, it’s all hitting the same note. It’s desperately missing that turbulent air.
It’s something that’s also reflected in the direction and cinematography, put simply, they’re incredibly bland. There’s no sharpness to the aesthetic, no movement to the direction, no edge to the editing, it’s missing all these opportunities to elevate itself. Another big part of the problem is that it never feels like To Love a Narcissist gets to grips with the concept of a narcissistic personality or control issues. It’s a fairly surface level exploration of the different themes it touches upon. Ultimately, it’s simply watching two unpleasant people, each with very different issues try to build a deeply problematic relationship, and that’s not enough to hold your attention.
As terrific as Lyndsey Marshal typically is at portraying conflict and working through emotional problems, they never really allow her to build her character enough to connect with her. She’s stuck in this one gear, and it makes you somewhat suspicious of her, which undermines the story. Similar can be said of Raffaello Degruttola’s portrayal, he’s not hiding anything, so his personality traits aren’t slowly revealed as it would typically happen in real life, it’s clear from the beginning. Degruttola also doesn’t feel like a good fit opposite Marshal, he can’t quite match her performance.
To Love a Narcissist has a good premise in there somewhere, especially if it had taken the time to explore different perspectives more, but the execution is lacking. The style is one-noted and misses the mark on the intensity that it’s strongly calling out for. There’s a fair number of choices that come across as inorganic or insincere, chaptering it with the months slows things down and doesn’t have a lot to add, and it has a somewhat loose grasp on the subject. It’s akin to watching one long argument, which doesn’t have a great deal to offer.
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