Two old friends reunite in Matt and Mara. Mara (Deragh Campbell), a Toronto literary professor, is surprised one day to find her old friend Matt (Matt Johnson) waiting for her outside her classroom. Even though Mara is now married to musician Samir (Mounir Al Shami) and has a young daughter, she rekindles her friendship with Matt. When Matt accompanies Mara to a conference in Ithaca, questions arise about whether there is something more to their friendship.
Matt and Mara Synopsis
Matt and Mara is the latest film from Toronto-based writer/director Kazik Radwanski (Tower, How Heavy This Hammer, Anne at 13,000 Ft.). The film reunites Anne at 13,000 Ft. stars Deragh Campbell (Measures for a Funeral) and Matt Johnson (The Dirties, Operation Avalanche, Blackberry) as the titular friends Matt and Mara. When Matt returns to Toronto from New York to care for his hospitalized father, he ends up picking up his friendship with Mara right where it left off. The question soon arises whether the dynamic between Matt and Mara is more than just friendship.
My Thoughts on Matt and Mara
Matt and Mara see Kazik Radwanski continue with his filmmaking style of heavily improvised “slice of life” character studies, while also channelling Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy, with the film even featuring a tense argument scene that reminded me of a similar scene in Before Midnight. The plot of Matt and Mara drops many hints of the sexual tension between the two characters, though the film opts to take a route that is arguably more realistic and not the stereotypical movie romance. Like Kazik Radwanski’s previous films, Matt and Mara concludes on an extremely vague and subtle note, leaving it up to the viewer to interpret what happens next.
