The bittersweet character drama “Fourteen” examines a friendship that seems like it should last forever. Despite their differences, Mara (Tallie Medel) and Jo (Norma Kuhling) have been close since childhood. They’ve been friends long enough to have secrets from each other, and they’re close enough to know those secrets don’t really matter. The film around them is like their friendship — intellectual and loving, with a little too much left unsaid.
“Fourteen” circles Mara and Jo across 10 years of their adult relationship, lingering on beginnings before the years start to fly by. At the onset, their friendship works as a push and pull between equals — both are gainfully employed 20-somethings building their résumés and dating around in New York City. But when Jo’s mental health devolves, their relationship loses its balance. Jo can no longer hold down the social-work jobs she once enjoyed. Her hot-and-heavy romances used to make Mara jealous, but now they end more dramatically, with threats of self-harm. With each disaster, Mara is Jo’s first call.
This story of intimate friendship was written and directed with a subtle touch by Dan Sallitt. He eschews close-ups, preferring to observe how his characters fit within their environment. Denying the satisfaction of grand expressions or gestures, Sallitt instead uses time to show the changes in Jo and Mara’s relationship.
As Mara’s life moves forward and Jo’s falls apart, time starts to move faster. Instead of it being a week since Mara last saw Jo, it’s a year, and then several years. What begins as a movie with two protagonists almost imperceptibly evolves into a movie with just one — a touching demonstration of how narratives that seem inevitably intertwined can unravel.
Fourteen
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. Watch through virtual cinemas.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
