Rachel Lambert's 'Carousel,' starring Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, is a painfully languid neorealist drama of lonely-hearts romance. The film, which premiered at Sundance, carries a heavy mood shadow of Cassavetes and Bergman stylings, but its oblique-chic drama and art-house sensibility may struggle to find an audience in today's marketplace.
The story follows Noah (Pine), a divorced general practitioner in Cleveland, and Rebecca (Slate), a former high school sweetheart who returns to town after a political career in Washington, D.C. They reconnect through Noah's teenage daughter, Maya (Abby Ryder Fortson), whom Rebecca coaches on the debate team. Their rekindled romance is fraught with torment and unresolved history.
Pine delivers a performance rippled with anger and vulnerability, though his polished Beverly Hills look strains credibility as a sad-sack physician. Slate, in a role shorn of comedy, brings a squirmy misery to Rebecca. The film's elliptical storytelling and quotidian moments feel authentic but rudderless, leaving viewers wanting more explanation.
Key scenes include a bizarre cinnamon-roll-and-alcohol bender at an airport and a beautifully acted kitchen argument that captures the desperation of a divorced father. Despite strong performances, 'Carousel' ambles from scene to scene, bathed in brown art shadow and a lugubrious string score, making it a film without a clear audience.
