This film features the relationship of it's characters not as the destination, but the journey. A journey to self-discovery, understanding & personal growth.

TEMPE, AZ, UNITED STATES, March 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Are RomComs making a comeback? This has been the question on many a moviegoer’s mind as we come out of the peak of the pandemic & we are starting to see the familiar comfort of the comedic male/female dynamic return to movie screens. Many major media outlets are highlighting (and hoping for) the "Comeback of the Rom-Com", but if they are truly staging a return to the film landscape, why? Is the return nostalgia driven, or are audiences willing to evaluate cinema with more progressive themes in the man/woman dynamic? Or is it simply a matter of Hollywood looking for a big return of "date night" movies so they can get back to the steady profits that these films once dependably produced?

It has been said, and the works of the likes of Norman Lear and Mel Brooks have shown us, that if you entertain the public first, you can open their mind later. Lear especially recognized that if you could get the American public to start laughing at our differences, you just might have a shot at getting it to accept them. Romantic comedies are no different. While we have seen a return to formula, we have also seen a surge in originality, as Charlie Day’s "I Want You Back" shows.

Fans of Jennifer Lopez will not be disappointed her new Rom-Com "Marry Me", which is at its core, about an overworked pop star who just wants to have the same kind of relationships as her fans do. That is not to say normal. The word normal, itself, is a loaded term. Who is to define what that means, or what kind of relationships, in 2022, fit that mold? We live in a world where people are finally empowered to embrace the full context of their sexuality, and to go beyond biology and establish their own gender identity. Americans are no longer forced to go by the color of booties bought for them as a child by their grandmothers.

Thus, while some of the above-mentioned films try to break new thematic ground, at least conceptually, it was quite illuminating to happen upon a new movie where the relationship dynamic exists in a way that the viewer can see themselves in the shoes of its main characters.

In "The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater", which recently had its world premiere on YouTube, we are introduced to two incredibly unique protagonists, Ava Moriarty and Radovan Markovic, two lonely souls adrift in life on the rickety rafts they were unwittingly placed upon. In other words, very little of these characters' lives seem to be within their control. What makes this juxtaposition even more delicious is their burgeoning feelings for each other, which as we all know, is yet another element of our lives that can spin out of control, and is something both initially reject.

Lorrisa Julianus plays Ava, a brilliant art historian forced into a completely unexpected reality by circumstances beyond her control. To its credit, the movie presents this conflict without once sexualizing the characters. Mickey O’Sullivan plays Father Radovan Markovic, an Episcopal priest hiding a dark past of his own. All of these character developments are examined in due time, but they are not necessarily the heart of the film.

What is at the heart of the film Is a smart and literate script, also penned by Ms. Julianus, where we are able to suspend, if we choose, the notion of a “boy and girl” in conflict and watch instead two souls who try to intertwine which each other on a level far beyond anything physical, and thus, are not confined to the male/female box. Yes, Ava is physically a stunner, a beautiful woman, and Radovan is masculine and handsome, while displaying vulnerability that's irresistible to Ava.

But the script is about what happens when two souls collide, not one man and one woman. Because the sexualization of the two leads is not a focal point, we are not relegated to a single point of view, nor do we see the stereotypical push/pull battles of two people protecting their egos. These are wounded souls, and perhaps even old ones, who have found each other and connect on a level that transcends physicality.

In fact, what ‘Mistress’ does, is introduce you to two characters, who are clearly falling for one another, but who are also comfortable enough with themselves to challenge each other to be the best person they can be, irrespective of the relationship. The drive is not to be a better boyfriend, or future wife, but to evolve as people, and find enlightenment as human beings. Thus, the cinematic relationship is but one tool to achieve a higher level of consciousness, not the culmination of a higher level of consciousness.

Think of this film as one where the relationship is not the destination, but the journey. A journey to self-discovery, understanding, and personal growth.

The moviegoing public is familiar with romantic comedies that explore the mind - and especially the body - but The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater explores the soul, expertly mixed with deeper reflections on the human condition and genuine belly laughs. Are you ready to see a script that explores two souls finding genuine love? As romantic comedies stage their comeback, here is a film that seeks viewers who are ready to abandon formulaic, paint-by-numbers romantic comedies.

Ultimately what makes this film so interesting is that Ms. Julianus has not just penned challenging characters, she has created characters that challenge the audience itself. If we accept that the externalities of physical beauty are mere subtext to the narrative of a supernova that are two souls merging, then we leave the film invigorated, and we are ready to experience such emotional bursts of light ourselves.

Love is not logic; it is chaos. And as this film teaches us, we must be willing to accept the uncertainties of the ever after, to even have a chance to experience the joys of the happily.

Todd Bennett
The Claw News
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The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater

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