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In the independent film world, 2009 could be remembered, among other things, as the year the Sundance Film Festival gave us two films about the rise and fall of a relationship between twenty-somethings told out of sequence. "Peter and Vandy" hasn't achieved anything close to the buzz its conceptual/structural partner "(500) Days of Summer" managed to drum up prior to its theatrical release and is likely to slip into theaters with little fanfare. It may take some effort to track down this small, rough, unpolished gem, but it deserves to be seen.
Based on writer/director Jay DiPietro's play, this modestly produced New York-set drama is a great vehicle for the talents of its two young leads, Jason Ritter ("The Education of Charlie Banks") and Jess Weixler ("Teeth"). As we watch the ups, downs, triumphs and pitfalls the couple experiences, the actors make these flawed characters undeniably tangible, involving the viewer in several moments that are easily identifiable. This is one of the few films I've seen this year in which I cared about the characters every bit as much as the filmmakers intended.
This, however, doesn't mean the protagonists are always easy to like. Vandy isn't a stranger to the ways of passive aggressiveness and Peter can be inconsiderate and intensely selfish. In their worst moments, they bicker, scream and call each other all sorts of awful names. The film's most vicious fight is trigged by (though not explicitly about) differing views regarding the proper way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you were in love in your 20s, chances are good you experienced a similar incident -- or perhaps many of them.
The non-linear structure feels organic to the characters' and relationship's development. We first meet the couple as they're lying in bed, and Vandy's profession of love to Peter is met with a surprised laugh. His reaction appears a bit callous until we next see a scene from earlier in the relationship that makes his response understandable. As DiPietro skips around the narrative timeline, constructing these people in fragments, it gives us an unusually complete picture of the characters early in the film. For instance, by the time we witness Peter's charmingly demure attempts to initially woo Vandy, we've already seen him in less than flattering moments. It's an unconventional handling of character arcs, but the purpose seems genuine and it pays dividends.
The film's main interest is in exploring how couples' survive once the "honeymoon" period has ended, when perpetual moments of excitement and joy give way to mundane disagreements over what to eat for dinner. In typical male fashion, Peter, after he's put in the effort to win Vandy's affection, gradually begins to take the relationship for granted. And it's his behavior that causes the romance's first serious rift, which threatens to lead to its undoing.
DiPietro clearly respects both characters, and you get the feeling he's experienced the same types of turmoil and bliss he depicts in his film. He never gives either character an upper hand, and the two leads share an easy, unforced chemistry that keeps one invested in the relationship throughout. Although the film's theatrical roots are too evident in a few awkward scenes (and the ending's a bit easy), the writer/director knows how to create moments that are palpable, alive.
"Peter and Vandy" bristles with the kind of beautifully messy, unfiltered energy that makes true romance so inspiring, devastating and life-affirming. If you can intimately relate to this movie, consider yourself fortunate.
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