Directed by Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson
Country: Canada
Leah Goldstein, vocalist of the Canadian alternative rock band, July Talks, gives an amazing performance in this incisive examination of an aspiring actor who tries by many possible ways to become successful in the sometimes-shallow world of the film industry.
Pavan Moondi (“Everyday Is Like Sunday”) and Brian Robertson directed with gusto and a sharp eye, employing a spontaneous approach and endeavoring to create a voice of their own. They actually succeed because Edith Welland (Goldstein), the intriguing main character, makes us totally immersed in her private and professional lives, where we can discern frustration, resentment, pretension, craftiness, rejection, and a bunch of intricacies related to her complex emotional state.
Every scene is meant to reflect Edith’s miserable situation and how she quickly slips into a web of lies and delusion that grows faster than a snowball descending a steep mountain. Everything becomes out of control and Edith cannot control her lies or her life anymore. A couple of genuine encounters with fellow actors allow us to foresee a bad ending for the viperous Edith, whenever she tries to pass the idea of a success she definitely didn’t find yet, almost stealing the others’ conquests for herself.
At the same time that she reveals outstanding acting skills during a tough audition and in her latest project, she also can’t dissemble a compromising lack of confidence in herself. This is so much stronger than her, to the point of preferring to sabotage the gig of her roommate and best friend, Clare (Leah Wildman), than fight in an honest way to excel in her vocation.
Moreover, she’s pissed off with her ex-boyfriend, Ben (Adam Gurfinkel), who unexpectedly got the male leading role in the same play she’s participating. She had broken up with him due to her intention of prioritizing her career.
Bored and disorientated, she only finds some peace of mind when in the company of her friend Nick (Nick Flanagan), a writer/comedian who never gets tired of advising her to focus on her career instead of wasting energy with other people’s things, and trying to convince her to enroll in acting classes to evolve, meet people, and consequently embrace work opportunities. However, she opts for the easiest and yet unsafe way - giving herself to tricky personalities that claim to work in the film business, or whimsically faking her true identity to steal auditions from other actors.
Although a number of episodes may suggest an apparent contentment, Edith tumbles in the spiral of false hopes, irresponsible schemes, and dirty tricks that hustle her into a discouraging deadlock. Amidst the variety of embarrassing situations, Edith gradually learns her lesson and assumes her own guilt.
It's time for a fresh start.
Technically, the film doesn’t disappoint, benefiting from the attractive, lustily colored settings and the eccentric vibes drawn by the characters. Still, a few specific scenes in need of more maturation and less precipitation were identifiable. This quibble never made us overlook the consciousness of “Diamond Tongues”, a curious tragicomedy well founded in Mr. Moondi’s sturdy screenplay.
