Staff Pick The Premiere toast to friends

Love and friendship are fundamental aspects of the human experience. It's simple to conclude that they're two of our basic requirements as individuals. These are the bonds that bind us. They make us whole but also make us vulnerable. We are afraid of losing them as deeply as we desire to have them beginning. Filmmakers' job is to record the duality of emotions in all their ways is an arduous task However, in the few moments when films address the vulnerability of human emotions without censorship, it is an effective tool for understanding the individual experiences of every one of us. This brings us to today's Staff Pick Premiere: Liv Karin Dahlstrom's "Women&Wine," a comedic exploration of self-destructed pride when it fights to maintain a friendship that is slipping away. It was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival (full disclosure: I was a part on the jurors), "Women&Wine" is at once a charming, unsettling, yet a familiar portrait of one woman's struggle to be an friend.

The film starts by introducing Turid (Marit Andreassen) and Signe (Jeanne Bee) Two middle-aged female acquaintances who are planning an extravagant birthday celebration for their mutual acquaintance Grete (Turid Gunnes). A fun prank turns into an insult that causes Turid feeling that she's not longer considered a close friend, pride can hinder confidence, and an hilariously cringeworthy incident is the outcome. A sensitive and honest portrayal of relationships and friendships, the film ranges from beautiful and funny to painful and hurtful. According to Dahlstrom who composed the script with Thorkild Schroepf, the same incident was witnessed at a pal's bachelorette party. This led them to consider the "humor of vulnerability and vulnerability people seek to hide when they are in difficult social circumstances. We are both incredibly fascinated by our human minds and the consequences that can occur when our feelings influence us." When it comes to Turid and in a state of confusion since Grete doesn't value their friendship, the event is a desperate attempt to establish their relationship and ascend the ladder of friendship, falling over her and the other guests on the way.

The subject of friendship and jealousy might be something you are familiar with, or like a recipe to make a movie about dangerous female friendships, Dahlstrom intentionally avoids drama for an approach that's naturalistic and concentrates on her actors captivating and dynamic shows along with their emotional depth. Motivated by daily scenes that are seemingly small moments, Dahlstrom realized that "the camera needs to be able to follow the actions and actions, not the other way around." At the end of the day, the film seamlessly moves between scenes, revealing the extent to which we reach to keep our loved ones, and also our pride.

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