Love Simple (2009)

Love Simple: Directed by Mark von Sternberg. With Francisco Solorzano, Patrizia Hernandez, Israel Horovitz, Caitlin FitzGerald. A man and woman fall in love but lie about who they really are due to their mutual insecurities.

“Just saw this movie on Netflix. Itu0026#39;s an independent and relatively low budget film, and like many good u0026quot;indies,u0026quot; Love Simple is raw, non-homogenized and intriguing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe initial credits give that u0026quot;indieu0026quot; feeling immediately; yet the initial soundtrack music foreshadows unbalance, uncertainty and creative sparks by using an upbeat rock instrumental in a strange time signature you canu0026#39;t count. Only at the end of the movie did I fully realize the brilliance there.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(There are some other interesting elements to the music soundtrack as well – listen for them. Thereu0026#39;s a transitional music fragment played on a tired upright piano, for example, that is just perfect for the scene. Kudos to the music composer, Danny Mordujovich.) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother reviewer here thought the acting was poor. I respectfully but totally disagree, because like many good indies this film presents an unpolished vision of real people in challenging, painful situations. u0026quot;Realityu0026quot; shows have u0026quot;real peopleu0026quot; and they donu0026#39;t act very well or at all, but that makes sense. Here in Love Simple, however, the director and the actors create the characters to communicate certain ideas and feelings in the persons of otherwise seemingly real people. The rough edges in the acting reinforce the realism while the story proceeds along its message path.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt first, the story line seemed to fall in the u0026quot;things get bad to worseu0026quot; genre of many indie screenplays. I enjoy the character studies in such films, but many times feel disappointed with the story lineu0026#39;s downward spiral or, sometimes, the ultimately u0026quot;same BS, different dayu0026quot; fatalistic outlook on life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLove Simple, however, is not that simple. Indeed, as the film progresses, the story becomes at once clearer and more nuanced. I wonu0026#39;t spoil it by giving it away – but this film is worth watching carefully. Some of the audio (as in many indies) is under volume or the lines are rushed, so you might stop and replay parts. It is worth hearing every line.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere is a philosophy of love in this movie that you rarely see in film. If you have read Harville Hendrixu0026#39;s book, Getting the Love You Want, then youu0026#39;ll especially recognize (at the end of the film) some deeper psychological insights. If you know the term agape love from the Christian view, then the internal struggles of the characters in Love Simple become quite dramatic.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLove is not just liking. Love is not necessarily admiring. Love does not rest upon a checklist of sellable qualities. To truly love is to desire to heal and restore another human being, and to carry on for as long as it takes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWatch Love Simple with a thoughtful person, or the person you love, and then explore the filmu0026#39;s story and ideas in conversation. Involve your hearts and minds. Enjoy the journey.”