SLIFF 2018 Review – LEMONADE

LEMONADE screens as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival Friday Nov 3rd at 12:10pm and again Sunday Nov. 4th at 12:10pm. Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Theater. Ticket info can be found HERE and HERE

Review by Stephen Tronicek

Almost every frame of Ioana Uricaru’s Lemonade looks like it is crushing the main characters, which is odd because the camera is never locked down. Instead, the oppressive coolness of the imagery battles the expressiveness of the camera, allowing for a feeling that can only be described as wanting to run but being held in place. .

It’s hard to imagine that the main character, Mara (Malina Manovici) feels anything else. She’s recently come to America under the pretense of a “false marriage,” and now the consequences of such an act, however unwarranted they may be, are coming back to get her. Facing the need to care for her son, her downright abusive “husband,” and the inner workings of this New World that she has entered, Mara must find a way to keep herself out of trouble long enough to secure her place.

Lemonade is produced by Christian Mungiu (responsible for a contender for best film of the 21rst century, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days), and Mungiu is an obvious influence. Uricaru’s storytelling here is very similar to Mungiu’s in aesthetic (untethered camera, desaturation), but there’s definitely a distinct voice within the intensity brought to every scene.

Malina Manovici is saddled with so much as an actress, but she easily skirts the line of scared but strong. Mara isn’t without guilt but she’s not to blame for most of the problems surrounding her. That comes down to systems surrounding her. The immigration system that is wrought with corruption, the justice system that won’t help her, and the men in her life that feel entitled to her. I’d suspect that many people would call this film heavy-handed but a film has to fail to earn its message to be so. It has to fail as drama and Lemonade most certainly doesn’t fail as that. It often feels like one bad thing after another but as the film ramps up in intensity building to a devastating, yet hopeful, end the direction and acting only get more and more potent.

If you’re a fan of social dramas by way of the Dardennes,’ Lemonade is an excellent addition to that genre and a gutwrenching dramatic treatise on the failures of multiple systems to protect a person that they should have. On top of that, Lemonade will probably be one of the best actor’s showcases of the festival and should crush you and leave you in awe all the same.