Written and directed by Sophie Somerville, co-written by stars Melissa Gan and Emmanuelle Mattana, when Jessie’s (Gan) estranged friend Em (Mattana) spontaneously arrives in Melbourne from Sydney, they spend a weekend together to distract themselves from their many problems and their existential dread.
This is absolutely one for the girlies, it’s an authentic exploration of female friendships and womanhood. Sophie Somerville kicks things off on an adorable note, it’s such a simple, sweet moment which captures those nonsensical, silly ramblings which might look insane from the outside but make perfect sense between good friends. That’s the foundation of Fwends, it’s humble and natural, trying to portray the everyday reality of reconnecting with friends and all of the great and complicated things which go along with that.
When it remains in that very organic, earnest realm, with Jessie and Em just rolling with it, spontaneously running through Melbourne, and along the way delving into some deeper issues, it’s excellent. To mix that celebration of friendship, with some of the classic obstacles which women face, particularly in the work environment, but also socially, it has so much to offer. Those moments are so charming and relatable, they’re a joy to watch unfold but can also be surprisingly genuine and touching.
Part of that is undoubtedly the performances from Melissa Gan and Emmanuelle Mattana who are perfectly natural and have great timing. The way they’re able to keep the banter going consistently while the tone and nature of the conversation changes is really well done. They have a terrific chemistry, and it’s effortless to watch. They craft an imperfect but very special connection which has such a superb realism.
However, in the moments where Somerville tries to take Fwends in a more creative direction and play around with the visual, it becomes weaker. There is a nice dose of chaos, and lifting of inhibitions but when that change occurs, it starts to slip away from that humble foundation and it’s simply not as effective. Those choices ultimately prevent it from reaching its full potential.
Fwends has a terrific idea and is led by two brilliant performances from Melissa Gan and Emmanuelle Mattana. It’s a lovely exploration of female friendship, both in its joys and conflicts. It’s shot well, adding in a little bit of chaos and adventure, there’s also a great amount of colour and personality. It’s absolutely at its strongest when it simply lets the characters do the work, when it tries to inject different energies with the visual, it strays from that strength and then ultimately fizzles out. As a debut feature from Sophie Somerville, this shows a lot of skills, it’s a great effort, so while it might not reach its full potential, it’s still a fun, charming watch.
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