After the resounding critical acclaim of Celine Song’s debut feature, Past Lives (2023), the latest addition to her oeuvre was met with an abundance of buzz from the cinephile community who expected it to live up to the modern spin on the romance genre like that of her debut film. Although this film mimics multiple themes of Past Lives, on the surface Materialists favours a lively feel. The film has shrouded itself in the somewhat nostalgic tropes of Nora Ephron’s New York-set romance films that are well loved. Examples being-When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Despite these films having a sombre tone in parts, Materialists is completely drenched in melancholy as match-maker Lucy, Dakota Johnson faces a dilemma when she is torn between her perfect (unicorn) match, Pedro Pascal and the social ladder she has tried desperately to climb and her flawed past with her ex, Chris Evans.
One of the highlights of the film itself was the enchanting cinematography by Shabier Kirchner who was also responsible for Past Lives, making this their second collaboration. The film was shot on 35mm Kodak film stock using a Panaflex Millennium XL2 cameras with Primo lenses from Panavision. The film is also shot in a 1.85 aspect ratio which mimics the same way other romances were shot including, previously mentioned, When Harry Met Sally and Jerry Maguire (1996). In a Q&A with Panavision Song states of herself and Kirchner “we are never looking for the prettiest shot; we are always looking for the shot that tells the story.” Despite this statement, the visual look of the film is exquisite. The film itself is about love, of course, and certain scenes felt similar to a wedding video, even scenes in non-wedding contexts. The lighting is so masterfully used in these scenes that it gives particular shots an aura that draws you into the characters’ relationships further.
Where the film falls short slightly is through Dakota Johnson. Her acting style is very one dimensional, lacks depth and emotion. Despite this it serves well for certain elements of Lucy’s character but is superficial when it came to the poignant scenes. The elements where this is ideal for is when Lucy is appearing to be very transactional when it comes to love- referring to it as “math”. Her matchmaker-wanting clients are referred to as their name and first initial. She references herself as being similar to a funeral director as she is only interested in their name, occupation, salary, height, weight, etc making it seem very cursory and frivolous. She shows this one dimensional, placid side when it comes to one of the love interests- Harry, played by Pedro Pascal. Besides Almodovar’s short film Strange Way of Life (2023), this is the first film in which Pascal has acted in a romance. Pascal has become the “internet daddy” and he feeds into the genre of romance particularly well as Lucy lusts over his character’s wealth. Regardless of his character appearing to be perfect, he is described as a “unicorn”, cracks start to show and a vulnerability is presented.
Chris Evans’s performance as John was the most likeable and acts as a juxtaposition to the perfect man that Harry presents himself as being. He is a thirty seven-year-old, broke actor in New York who is trying to make it in the industry. He is Lucy’s ex- boyfriend who broke up due to financial issues. He acts as a catalyst for the indecisive Lucy who can’t chose what kind of man she wants which is perfectly demonstrated through the scene of John putting down her drinks of a beer and a Coca-Cola. The stark difference of the drinks present her wanting to have it all and not being able to pick. His character in particular takes away the superficial and transactional side of dating in the film and presents it as being raw, heartfelt and meaningful.
Something audiences will appreciate about this film is its clarity. An expected trope of the romance genre is that it “only happens in the movies”. Romance films tend to be overexaggerated, corny and unrealistic. This film is a complete parallel to that. The conversations are extremely well written and are believable. It doesn’t just remain on a happy note but has its moments of sorrow which is quite similar to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017) which was cited as one of Song’s references for the film.
The nostalgic elements of this film from the soundtrack, colour pallet, cinematography and the setting in New York makes this a film that audiences will keep returning to for years to come. Melancholy and romance are a match made in heaven for this film. A match even Lucy would have loved to be responsible for.
Megan Hilborne (Instagram: meghillbilly) is a freelance writer and film critic based in Portsmouth. She graduated with a degree in Film in 2020 and has continued her study of the medium in her day-to-day life. She takes particular interest in indie, horror, feminist and queer cinema.
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