2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
A young woman, Liv (Olivia Levine), agrees to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with her partner Marty (Rosaline Elbay). When she arrives, however, a figure from her past arrives, shaking things up and presenting her with a new series of challenges. Let Liv depicts Liv’s struggle with alcoholism, her estranged mother, and the idea of starting fresh in a world where our past constantly haunts us.
There’s just something about Let Liv that works, that invites viewers into its orbit and reminds us all that we are human, all the same. There are films that work and it’s hard to explain why–that’s not the case with Let Liv as Director Erica Rose and Writer Levine make it abundantly clear all the things that make this film find success. My favorite thing: the sound.
The echo of the gym in which the meeting takes place remains and holds firm throughout the duration of the film. That echo makes things feel small, like they are personal and difficult to escape. This seems like such a small detail, something that shouldn’t be able to make or break Let Live, but the reality is that it’s one of the most powerful aspects of the entire film, and I love it. As the sound reverberates throughout the gym it almost becomes deafening, as Liv has to hear herself suffer and struggle over and over again–completely incapable of escaping her troublesome reality.
And then Let Liv transitions outside, to a bigger world, to a place where it can be understood that the emotion present in the film is bigger than the people that sit before us. At this time, about halfway through the film, the reach of Let Liv extends itself beyond just an alcoholics anonymous meeting and out into the world where everyone who has ever experienced pain can find it.
A level of intimacy exists from open to close–a level that strengthens the idea of Let Liv being so personal, helping it to connect with viewers on a tangibly emotional level. That’s the key to this film–the intimacy. The acting, sound, and setting lend themselves to strengthening the intimacy of Let Liv, and that’s incredibly inviting. Through each of these things the film comes to life in ways that strongly appeals to individuals who have experienced anything like is depicted in the film–but it also appeals to a larger audience. Viewers are able to feel a closeness that we all need from time to time–and this team accomplishes this with uniqueness and great aplomb. As Liv and Marty are first introduced, viewers are exposed to their intricacies, the things that make them tick–and as Let Liv drives forward, viewers are able to see a series of things that will likely resonate with them. So much of the film is familiar, so much of it will reach viewers, and that’s a testament to talent possessed by each and every person who helps to bring this film to life.
Let Liv works in a series of ways to bring the intricacies of life to viewers attention–to present them with a series of scenarios that, while they may not initially look familiar, resonate with them, enticing them every step of the way. From beginning to end viewers find new ways to connect with Let Liv, starting with the sound. From sound to acting and set design to cinematography, Let Liv constantly reaches viewers, never failing to stir the emotional pot along the way.
Directed by Erica Rose.
Writer Olivia Levine.
Starring Christine Taylor, Olivia Levine, Rosaline Elbay, Jordan Carlos, Monica Wyche, Abdu Garmazi, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
Comments