It's hard to make an independent film in Hollywood. It's hard to find a strong compelling script, to get good performances, and to capture the interest of an audience. Well the film 30-Love overcomes all of those "it's hard" statements by delivering a solid first film attempt.
This is the story of a man who on the day he is to experience the profound joy of having a new baby is plunged in the opposite direction into complete despair when his seemingly healthy wife unexpectedly succumbs after giving birth to their daughter.
The distraught widower can barely think let alone begin to function as the father of a newborn. While going through the early stages of his grief, the widower gets the idea to honor his wife on the first anniversary of her death by winning a local tennis tournament. She had loved tennis, but he'd never played it before. Problem!
Problems with insecurity, smothering sadness, grieving in-laws, work, childcare, and daily tennis practice overwhelm and blind our antihero's judgment. Setting the stage for his growing obsession to win.
As the viewer, I was puzzled by his blindness. His awkward interactions and haphazard care of the baby were discomforting to me. It appeared he could not see that his baby was his wife's ultimate sacrifice and gift to him and to the world. I didn't like him.
However later on I realized my being uncomfortable and fearful for the child was the very intention of the writer and the filmmaker. They weren't looking for a "cookie cutter" ending because life isn't comfortable. It's constantly changing. So I recognized their artistic bravado.
The ending wisely leaves the future of this child to be imagined by the viewer. The film succeeds on the strength of the ending in addition to it's great cinematography, editing, and music.
This is the story of a man who on the day he is to experience the profound joy of having a new baby is plunged in the opposite direction into complete despair when his seemingly healthy wife unexpectedly succumbs after giving birth to their daughter.
The distraught widower can barely think let alone begin to function as the father of a newborn. While going through the early stages of his grief, the widower gets the idea to honor his wife on the first anniversary of her death by winning a local tennis tournament. She had loved tennis, but he'd never played it before. Problem!
Problems with insecurity, smothering sadness, grieving in-laws, work, childcare, and daily tennis practice overwhelm and blind our antihero's judgment. Setting the stage for his growing obsession to win.
As the viewer, I was puzzled by his blindness. His awkward interactions and haphazard care of the baby were discomforting to me. It appeared he could not see that his baby was his wife's ultimate sacrifice and gift to him and to the world. I didn't like him.
However later on I realized my being uncomfortable and fearful for the child was the very intention of the writer and the filmmaker. They weren't looking for a "cookie cutter" ending because life isn't comfortable. It's constantly changing. So I recognized their artistic bravado.
The ending wisely leaves the future of this child to be imagined by the viewer. The film succeeds on the strength of the ending in addition to it's great cinematography, editing, and music.