(Check out Chris Reed’s Magic Hour movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Grief is a universal human experience. Live long enough, and you will gain an increasing variety of it. There’s no way to avoid the pain of loss in this world. For that reason alone, choosing to treat the subject on screen comes with a fair amount of risk, above all the temptation to wallow in maudlin sentiment.
Fortunately, in Magic Hour, from director and star Katie Aselton (She Dies Tomorrow), the script is strong enough to carry us through the familiar clichés and potentially mawkish sequences. Co-written with Aselton’s husband, Mark Duplass (Creep 2), the movie takes the viewer on a wild emotional ride set in one confined location…that just happens to be smack in the middle of one of the most beautiful spots in the world, Joshua Tree National Park. The internal turmoil and external beauty combine to make for a solidly engaging watch.
Aselton plays Erin, who travels to a friend’s house in the desert with her spouse, Charlie (Daveed Diggs, Blindspotting), in tow. They need alone time as a couple; an as-yet-unspecified event has caused something of a rift between them. Hopefully the isolation and arresting scenery will give them the break they require.
Or perhaps not, as 20 minutes in we discover what the real issue is. Should I reveal the plot twist here? You’ll figure it out soon enough, if not before the exact moment the camera tells all.
Irrespective of your reaction to that narrative development, Magic Hour proves moving more than anything else, even as we guess much of what is to transpire. At one point, a group of drag queens shows up; so does Brad Garrett (Cha Cha Real Smooth), as the owner of the property, and others, including a masseuse who takes Erin on quite the physical and spiritual journey. In between, Diggs tries to read a book and make conversation; mainly, he looks sad (and with good reason). But for the most part, beyond these additional characters, we are firmly inside Erin’s head and heart.
Cinematographer Sarah Whelden (The Plan) leverages the landscape and surrounding vegetation with exquisite skill, photographing even the most static scenes for maximum visual effect. Given how reliant the story is on dialogue, and how hopeless the situation seems for much of the runtime, these artistic shots elevate the spoken word beyond a filmed stage play. Indeed, Magic Hour feels distinctly cinematic, thanks to its lush compositions and touching performances from the leads. There may not be a lot that’s new in the treatment, but the sincerity of the mise-en-scène makes the movie effective where it counts.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
