Every Day
/"Every day a different body. Everyday a different life. Every day in love with the same girl."
Filmology Rating: 2 out of 4
The mysteries of identity and love have confounded us for centuries, with humanity trying to find logic in religion and spirituality that justifies our existence. While it’s human nature to want to know everything that we can, that flaw makes us take our daily existence for granted.
“A” is a body swapping entity who only spends twenty four hours in each body which he/she possess. “A” begins to get the attention of Rhiannon, played by Angourie Rice, who is struggling with how to balance her love life with her neglectful boyfriend with what she wants out of life. “A” slowly begins to help Rhiannon explore all the possibilities that life can offer, but once “A”’s secret becomes revealed the more failable human emotions are unleashed leaving impacts on everyone involved in these teenager’s lives.
One of the biggest issues with Every Day is how you are simply dropped into the story and aren’t given enough time to understand main character motivations, especially those of Rhiannon. Through the running length of the film you start to understand some of her motivations and life philosophies, but it takes around forty minutes into an hour and a half film to get a clear picture. Having complex developed characters is never a detriment to a film, the only reason why I feel like it’s a slight flaw with this film is because you are meant to make assumptions about characters and in a film which talks about walking a mile in someone else's shoes and not making quick judgments on them; it just seems hypocritical to do so.
Another issue with the film is the score by Elliott Wheeler. Every Day is the second feature film that Wheeler has composed a score for and I hope that it’s either his last or he takes some lessons on how to compose to score with subtle themes. The score for the film is overpowering and doesn’t give the film time to let the scene breath and play out. The score insists on telling you how you should feel with each scene which by itself felt offensive but when the score is as bland as this one is it becomes one of the most sour notes of the film.
Every Day does offer more than philosophical concepts that will keep every intellect content, it offers a great performance from up and coming actress Angourie Rice. The old saying the eyes are the window to the soul is the core concept that I have when looking at a performance in a film; those who act with their eyes always seem to give a more reliable and empathetic performance. Rice doesn’t have to speak a word of dialogue and you can understand her stance with each given situation by looking at her eyes. Rice will soon be among phenomenal actress like Amy Adams, Emma Stone, and Felicity Jones if she keeps delivering performances like the one she delivered in this film.
The film has a short running time and a plethora of ideas that it shouldn’t have any issue making the hour and a half feel like a fulfilling time, yet the film has many moments that feel like asides in the film that help make the film feel slight. With the understanding that Every Day is based off a young adult novel I cannot help but feel the film would be stronger if it cut some of the plotlines involving Rhiannon’s friends that seem like they are only included in the movie to show that she does actually have a life outside of her boytoy. Honestly the concept for this film would work better as an hour long Twilight Zone anthology type show on The CW. Not only would it appeal more to the target demographic but cutting off any excess material would be something that could only strengthen the core product. It might seem that I found myself rejecting the movie that was given to me and that I’m attempting to justify this film as more than a melodramatic teenage romance film, but that is simply not the case. While I don’t often find myself connecting with the sentimental aspects of life, but I do find myself questioning my own existence and wondering why I am the person I am and why I love the people that I do; so it would only make sense that I found myself grappling with the more thought provoking aspects of the film rather than the mundane aspects of reality.
I can easily see Every Day appealing to a teen based audience, not only because the film stars actors in their age range but because the film appeals to the sensibilities of the age demographic: what does it mean to love?; and where do I belong in this universe? Both existential questions are at the core of Every Day, but the themes are briefly touched upon which leaves the audience to discuss the philosophical questions that we ponder everyday.
Rating: Rent It
-Jonny G