Oof. Where do I even start?
The good: Well written by technical standards, well acted, and beautiful visuals.
The bad: I watched this film with great trepidation as I myself am polyamorous and always a little wary of films/shows that touch on the subject. I wasn't just disappointed, I actually ended the film pretty much horrified.
Things start off okay when Mary brings up the concept of ethical non-monogamy (ENM) and even suggest that Mark look the concept up on Google. However as they fall into NM (not the ethical kind, in my opinion), it becomes very toxic and insecurities come out in unhealthy ways. Mark is unkind to Mary any time he gets even the least bit uncomfortable and keeps adding rules to their open relationship. He adds the rule that if one of them wants to stop being open then they have to stop being open immediately no matter what the other one wants. Things begin to spiral when Mary finds out that she's pregnant. Despite Mary being extremely careful with any partner besides Mark he immediately becomes insecure and brings up the erroneous idea that the baby is not his. They even go so far as to have a paternity test done. They also after months and months of sleeping with other people finally get tested for STDs (anyone sleeping with multiple people should get tested regularly) where Mary finds out she has contracted HPV. Upon learning that she is definitely pregnant she requests that the relationship be closed to which Mark responds that he doesn't want to close it, breaking his own rule. They stay together for a little while and you get the sense that it's only because she's pregnant and as soon as she loses the baby the relationship ends.
The film finishes with Mark and Mary dating other people and meeting up for a dinner where they make eyes at one another and we see an adorable montage of their idealized monogamous relationship.
This film quite literally plays on every single trope and assumption that people have of non-monogamous people. I would love to know what inspired Hannah Marks to write this drivel. It's actually quite disgusting.
I only gave three stars for the three good things about this film.
The good: Well written by technical standards, well acted, and beautiful visuals.
The bad: I watched this film with great trepidation as I myself am polyamorous and always a little wary of films/shows that touch on the subject. I wasn't just disappointed, I actually ended the film pretty much horrified.
Things start off okay when Mary brings up the concept of ethical non-monogamy (ENM) and even suggest that Mark look the concept up on Google. However as they fall into NM (not the ethical kind, in my opinion), it becomes very toxic and insecurities come out in unhealthy ways. Mark is unkind to Mary any time he gets even the least bit uncomfortable and keeps adding rules to their open relationship. He adds the rule that if one of them wants to stop being open then they have to stop being open immediately no matter what the other one wants. Things begin to spiral when Mary finds out that she's pregnant. Despite Mary being extremely careful with any partner besides Mark he immediately becomes insecure and brings up the erroneous idea that the baby is not his. They even go so far as to have a paternity test done. They also after months and months of sleeping with other people finally get tested for STDs (anyone sleeping with multiple people should get tested regularly) where Mary finds out she has contracted HPV. Upon learning that she is definitely pregnant she requests that the relationship be closed to which Mark responds that he doesn't want to close it, breaking his own rule. They stay together for a little while and you get the sense that it's only because she's pregnant and as soon as she loses the baby the relationship ends.
The film finishes with Mark and Mary dating other people and meeting up for a dinner where they make eyes at one another and we see an adorable montage of their idealized monogamous relationship.
This film quite literally plays on every single trope and assumption that people have of non-monogamous people. I would love to know what inspired Hannah Marks to write this drivel. It's actually quite disgusting.
I only gave three stars for the three good things about this film.