Finding Emily

Oh my god I loved this film. I laughed out loud all the way through. The main characters are a charming, hapless young man who is full of virtue and passion, and a cynical, intelligent young woman who is trying to convert her personal feelings into a dispassionate psychological theory—exactly the dynamic you want in a good old-fashioned rom-com.

It is also very nicely made. Manchester is made to look vibrant. The Peak District scene is beautiful. Some of the scenes are almost shot in the classical style: the camera unflinchingly picks a position in the room and lets the action unfold. The vulgarity of the modern world is filmed with love and becomes part of the whole atmosphere of charm. When they cut, it has real impact.

Rom-com is one of my favourite genres but so few of them are worth re-watching. Finding Emily I would happily see again, and if I have time I might go back to see it on the big screen once more. There are homage-references to Romeo and Juliet, including Claire Danes’ wings, When Harry Met Sally, and a broader tradition of British films like Notting Hill. It also put me in mind of Juno.

So many people in this film are hollow, fake, or just plain nuts. And it is all turned to gentle comedy. The villains of the piece are all perfectly humiliated, but in a nice way. The satire of podcasters is delicious; the cynicism about psychology is perfect; and the crazy lefties are hilarious. The clothing and appearance choices are a big part of the comic effect. Love wins in the end, as you already know. Romantic common-sense triumphs over the bloodless, contorted, naive, and blind yammerings of everyone and everything else.

The decline of young people reading English Literature in favour of Psychology is hardly a reason for intellectual laments, but it is surely a tragedy on the personal level for a whole generation to prefer these half-truths to authentic poetry and this film knows it. (No spoilers, but wait for the scene where she presents her thesis.) Man cannot live on theories and (made up) empirics alone. The hero writes his own songs. I hope everyone sees this film.