2023 NEWFEST FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
As You Are follows a young queer relationship, one that hasn’t quite found its way yet, but has the potential to be important. When Piper (Estefania Geraldo) and Millie (Bri Scalesse) try to determine whether or not this is the first night that they spend together, their emotions rise to the surface, their greatest fears are realized, and the things that they want most in life become clear for maybe the first time ever.
As You Are is so incredibly raw, touching on a series of emotions that so perfectly and effectively reach viewers–pulling them in close and refusing to relent. There was a moment just a few minutes into the film when I felt that this would fail to deliver, that the simplicity of the film wouldn’t allow it to be emotionally relevant and that it may just end up on the wrong side of cinematic history. However, that feeling was quickly washed away, the purpose behind the film became far more obvious, the dialogue began to make more sense, and the film as a whole seemed to be on the right track. The most important aspect of As You Are is the dialogue, as that’s what helped to develop emotion and drew me close to tears.
The dialogue constantly treads the line between real and hyperreal, always landing on the right side of things, always appealing to viewers’ emotions, and constantly finding a way to remind viewers how raw and true As You Are is. Sometimes the words feel almost a little too honest, like most individuals wouldn’t be capable of that sort of honesty, but what seemed to make itself known about the characters as the film barreled forward was that they weren’t just honest, but incredibly nervous as well. It’s the nerves and that aspect of the dialogue that allows As You Are to thrive and hit all of the right emotional notes. I was able to remember a time when I struggled with relationships, at least with the dialogue aspect of them, because I was too nervous, too unsure of myself. As You Are is powerful enough to transport viewers back in time, see themselves in just the right places, and ultimately pull them into the film and access its content.
As You Are is filmed entirely in black and white, something else that adds to the raw nature of the film and allows it to find success. By eliminating color, it feels that As You Are manages to eliminate any sense of divisiveness that could have potentially existed in the film. Everyone and everything exists on level ground here. Nothing and no one has a leg up on anything else–and with this the film possesses a level of power that has the potential to be incredibly far reaching.
Simply put: As You Are has the ability to reach everyone. It’s the type of film that you’d have to write off before even watching in order to not take something away from it. The acting is brilliant, the story is beautiful, and the emotion that exists in every crevice of the film is touching and entertaining. I adore As You Are, and it has the potential to be the best film at this year’s NewFest.
Written & Directed by Daisy Friedman.
Starring Bri Scalesse & Estefania Giraldo.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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