Staff Choose The Premiere A toast to friendship

Love and friendship are fundamental elements of our human condition. It's simple to conclude that they are two of our basic requirements as individuals. They are the ties which bind us. They make us whole but also make us vulnerable. We fear losing them just as deeply as we desire to have them in the initial in the first place. Filmmakers' task is to capture the duality of emotions in their infinite forms is a daunting one, however in the rare instances that a film addresses the fragility of human emotion without censorship, it is an effective tool for understanding the personal experiences of each one of us. That brings us to today's Staff Pick Premiere: Liv Karin Dahlstrom's "Women&Wine," a comedic investigation of self-destructed pride as it confronts an eroding friendship. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival (full disclosure: I was part of the jury), "Women&Wine" is at once a charming, uncomfortable, and yet undeniably familiar portrait of one woman's desperate struggle to hold an ally.

The film begins by introducing Turid (Marit Andreassen) and Signe (Jeanne Bee) Two middle-aged female acquaintances who plan a surprise birthday party to their mutual acquaintance Grete (Turid Gunnes). After a playful prank becomes a snub that leaves Turid worries that she's no longer considered a close friend, pride can get in the way of confidence and a hilariously cringeworthy act is the result. An emotionally astute and honest depiction of human friendships and relationships, the film spans the gamut from beautiful and funny to snarky and painful. According to Dahlstrom who wrote the script along with Thorkild Schroepf The same situation took place at a friend's bachelorette party, which led them to consider the "humor of the vulnerability and vulnerability people try to conceal when protecting themselves in socially hard situations. Both of us are incredibly inspired by the human mind and the consequences that occur when our feelings influence us." In the case of Turid and in a state of confusion because Grete doesn't value their friendship, the event is a desperate attempt to prove their bond and ascend the ladder of friendship, tripping over herself and other guests on the way.

Although the subject matter of jealousy and friendship might be familiar to you, or like a recipe for a movie about harmful female friendships Dahlstrom deliberately eschews melodrama for an approach that is naturalistic and focuses on her performers' dynamic and enthralling performances as well as their emotional range. Inspired by everyday scenes of seemingly small moments, Dahlstrom decided that "the camera needs to follow the action and the actions, not the other way around." In the end the film seamlessly moves from scene to scene showing the lengths to which we reach to keep our loved ones, as well as our pride.