Lonely Planet Is the Most Evil of This Year’s Age-Gap Romances

As a seasoned cinema enthusiast with over three decades of movie-watching under my belt, I must admit that I found “Lonely Planet” to be a disappointingly dull and aimless affair. Having witnessed the evolution of romantic narratives on screen, I’ve come to appreciate the subtleties and nuances that make these stories resonate with audiences. Unfortunately, “Lonely Planet” seemed to have missed the mark in almost every aspect.

In another expression, Romance often revolves around fantastical scenarios. Real-life encounters like the perfect meet-cute might remain elusive, but characters in romantic series or films experience awkward encounters, flushing embarrassment, and subtle, unanticipated compliments instead. These dreamlike situations come in varying shapes and settings – imagine a housewife from Italy encountering a photographer for National Geographic, or your assistants setting you up to brighten your day. However, the trend in contemporary romance is the “age gap” storyline, where women beyond 40 find themselves attracted to men who are relatively younger.

As a dedicated cinephile, I found Anne Hathaway getting ensnared by Nicholas Galitzine’s charisma in “The Idea of You” particularly intriguing; Nicole Kidman navigated life, laughter, and love alongside Zac Efron (in a unique portrayal) in “A Family Affair”; and there was Carol Kane’s subtle courtship and platonic relationship with her former student-turned-cantor, Jason Schwartzman, in “Between the Temples.” The less conventional romance between a teacher and her student in Catherine Breillat’s “Last Summer” also left a mark.

The plot of Susannah Grant’s “Lonely Planet,” which debuted on Netflix recently, revolves around the characters Katherine (played by Laura Dern) and Owen (portrayed by Liam Hemsworth). These two individuals, both harboring a sense of cynical solitude, are brought together at an exclusive writers’ retreat in Morocco. Notably, Katherine resembles the embittered divorcée character Solène from “Idea of You,” and shares similarities with Kidman’s Brooke in “A Family Affair.” Much like these characters, Katherine is preoccupied with completing a manuscript but finds herself uninterested in the usual retreat activities such as group dinners or literary camaraderie. Instead, she dismisses her luxurious quarters and avoids interacting with others, focusing solely on her work; after all, isn’t everyone else there to achieve the same goal?

Luckily, there’s another individual present who is handling tasks, specifically in private equity and asset management – this person is Owen. He accompanies Lily (Diana Silvers), a flourishing young author reminiscent of Sally Rooney, whose recent novel “Intermezzo” also explores an age gap relationship. While Owen is there to provide emotional support, he’s also secretly working on business matters, communicating through ambiguous texts like “Is the deal happening?” This irritates Lily, who wonders why he doesn’t engage in games or discuss literature with writers, or inquire about her writing progress. Instead, he’s busy striking deals! To his disappointment, these literary minds don’t seem to appreciate private equity; have you ever heard of something so ridiculous?

That neither Katherine nor Owen is compelled to buy into the social contract of the residency is one of several reasons Lonely Planet reeks of a kind of evil not otherwise found in this year’s crop of age-gap romances. Whereas those other films had odd misgivings about their central relationships — the women often fret over how their bodies have aged, as Hathaway’s Solène compares herself to a fake boyband’s groupies and Kidman’s Brooke struggles to find a chic outfit — this film abandons any pretense of scandal regarding age (yay) so the romantic leads can instead, uh, look bored when talking to each other. They bond over what is not quite isolation or even loneliness, but a shared evasiveness and pessimism. For all that Katherine and Owen dismiss their peers, the film never clarifies what might make a writers’ retreat so isolating. Katherine is “reclusive,” bothered by the amenities offered to her, shrinking herself into smaller and smaller workplaces to get some peace of mind. This is seen as the more dignified path compared to Lily’s incessant partying and networking and dancing. For all her supposed talents, Owen’s girlfriend is rendered as an unpleasant nag, her behavior reverse-engineered so that we don’t care if Owen cheats — let alone that she also cheats with a writer we’re told wrote a “beautiful memoir about his time as a child soldier in Libya.” Not that Owen would care about that in the first place since we’re told, by him and Lily, that he doesn’t really like to read!

The film “Lonely Planet” could have been an amusing satire portraying self-absorbed and annoying writers, had it incorporated humor. However, the screenplay by Grant moves at a snail’s pace, with repetitive sequences of Lily inviting Owen to do something, only for him to decline, ultimately returning to Katherine. The duo’s shared experiences, such as their car breaking down in the desert or an impromptu shopping date, are typical of a vacation romantic comedy. But instead of expressing affection towards each other, they frequently discuss feeling out of place. Both characters seem reluctant to show interest in one another; they simply appear to be the only ones who truly understand. Watching this dynamic is not entertaining and comes across as rather unkind: These characters might only find love for each other as a desperate attempt to combat ennui.

Him? Again? Still? Neither of these individuals leaves much room for contemplation or affection. There’s no tension or excitement in their relationship; surprisingly, the film lacks any substantial conflict. They don’t seem to care whether they end up together. And neither do we.

2024-10-18 01:55

Lonely Planet Is the Most Evil of This Year’s Age-Gap Romances

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