2022 BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Agnes (Genevieve Adams) is a struggling atheist actress–and she is in love with Levi (Thomas McDonell), a Jewish man with a devout Jewish family. When Agnes agrees to marry Levi, she is informed that she must convert to Judaism in order for their marriage to work. While there are a number of wonderful things going on in Agnes’ life, Simchas and Sorrows depicts Agnes trying to find her way in the world before everything she loves slips away from her. Can she find solace in her new role, or will her beliefs come out on top, shifting her reality forever?
Political commentary, racial division, and religious tension exist throughout the course of Simchas and Sorrows, and from a very early juncture viewers can feel the intensity and the struggle behind the most basic aspects of the film. I fully understand how and why the religious aspect of the film exists, because that is essentially the key to the entire film. However, the other aspects, particularly the political commentary, shouldn’t have a role in Simchas and Sorrows. There is already a political divide present in the world, transcending the United States in a way that we haven’t seen in some time–so to add this element to a film that truly has nothing to do with politics is gratuitous. In the grand scheme of the film, all that the political conversation does for the film is hurt it, divide viewers, and interrupt a narrative that could have been riveting.
Along with the series of unnecessary things thrown into the mix, it feels that Simchas and Sorrows never really develops into one, cohesive story. As the film moves forward, numerous storylines and plot points make their way into the narrative, and it often feels incomplete, inorganic, and even messy. In addition to that, all of these unique things that Writer-Director Adams attempts to make her film ultimately fall to the wayside, and by the end of Simchas and Sorrows viewers find themselves watching something incredibly cookie-cutter, exactly like every other romantic comedy that they’ve ever seen.
In terms of narrative, Simchas and Sorrows is extraordinarily ordinary, and in regard to the message that Adams presents to the world, I remained on the fence throughout. I wanted to believe in the message, I wanted to understand all that Adams and her cohort had to say about being yourself and making the decisions that best benefit you and your own lifestyle, but I found myself questioning its validity. I don’t feel that the message comes across as intended, and that what Simchas and Sorrows ultimately tells viewers is that we should make sacrifices for the people we love, even if that means changing ourselves. I certainly, as a married individual, understand that there are sacrifices that we make each and every day for the people we care about, but it feels like the sacrifices that Agnes is often expected to make throughout Simchas and Sorrows are much larger than the ones that most should be expected to make on a regular basis. I severely struggled with this aspect of the film, even though it does eventually save itself in the closing moments (regardless of this, however, its rocky journey is off putting).
It felt in the opening moments that Simchas and Sorrows had the potential to break the mold of the romantic comedy, that it could veer from the usual and spark interest in unsuspecting viewers. It showed moments of promise throughout, but it always fell back to the usual, and that is disappointing. I struggle so much with the message that Adams presents the world throughout the majority of Simchas and Sorrows, and the narrative certainly isn’t for everyone. In terms of romantic comedies, Simchas and Sorrows will appeal to the typical crowd–but sadly that’s not me. Simchas and Sorrows is definitively made for fans of the genre, and just about everyone else will struggle to fall in love.
Written & Directed by Genevieve Adams.
Starring Genevieve Adams, Thomas McDonell, Hari Nef, Luke Forbes, Julie Halston, Gregg Bello, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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