AIFF 2014: The Mend

      Meh. The Mend is a story about two brothers who -apparently- had some troublesome teenage years and that still follows them into their adulthood. Thus, they cannot function if they are in the same room together, destroying everything that comes in their way -may that be furniture, relationships or even themselves. Sounds familiar? Well, it is.
       This small american film starring Josh Lucas (Poseidon) and Stephen Plunkett is exactly that. A story that has been told millions of times in films or books and each time it may be a little different but it is also always the same. What hurts this film though, is that you never seem to identify with any of the characters as they are truly unlikable. 

       The movie starts with a party organised by Alan (Plunkett) and his girlfriend taking place in their apartment. It is a typical american party with dancing, drinking and the occasional drug-taking and it is soon crashed by Alan's brother, Mat (Lucas) who seems like a 30-something lost cause and -at first at least- the complete opposite of his moderate brother. When Alan and his girlfriend leave for a two-week trip to Canada, Mat stays-uninvited- in their apartment and he also invites his divorced girlfriend (who he's cheated on the night before during the party) and her kid. When Alan returns home earlier than planned -and without a girlfriend- he finds everyone in his house and he has to deal with not only his own demons but also with his brother. 

          Dysfunctional families and tragedies are nothing new in film-making and as a theme it is truly difficult to be innovative but even taking this into account, this is a film that seems to want to say a lot without actually saying nothing. So, meh. 

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