A deftly told tale of love and courtship in the time of Tinder
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Film is meant to entertain and educate. With The New Romantic I learned the term “sugar baby,” the meaning of which is surprisingly obvious — the reciprocal piece in the relationship with a “sugar daddy.” It’s not prostitution in the traditional sense, but an arrangement of convenience, with each party benefiting, and a concept that has gained traction in an era where romance and financial transactions can both be initiated by the swipe of a finger.
Blake (Barden), a young woman who is tired of the blase attitude of men her age, finds Tinder-initiated dating lacking in natural connections and any semblance of chivalry. Declaring “romance is dead” is bad enough, but worse still when you’re a budding journalist for the college newspaper. A lack of material for her anonymous sex column leads to the shutting down of “The New Romantic.” Through a serendipitous event, she meets Morgan (Camila Mendes), a self-described “sugar baby,” who confidently engages in sexual relationships with men in exchange for gifts. Digging deeper into her lifestyle with the hopes of finding new content for her column, Blake finds herself drawn into such a relationship with Ian (Timm Sharp), a business professor at her college. The benefits are reaped quickly — a new moped, jewelry, and a flourishing interest in her column; however, the cold logic of an arrangement becomes far more complicated when intimacy enters the equation.
The idea of women using their bodies to better their situation is often referred to as the oldest profession in the world. The subject inspires countless literary and cinematic efforts examining social climbers and financial security seekers, from Jane Austen’s body of work to features such as Baby Face, Belle Du Jour, and Pretty Woman. These themes have been as sensationalized as they have been scrutinized. The New Romantic offers a refreshingly nuanced look at the subject. Avoiding judgement, it presents a layered and complex examination of such a situation, and a woman in its midst trying to figure herself out. In stark terms, all relationships are transactional in some way, be it emotional, sexual, or material, and the film certainly sparks your own deliberations as to what defines a relationship, questioning it as a social construct, grounds for commodity exchange, or a natural level of control in seeking a mate who can provide. The film’s setting in college is inspired, adding further layers of complication in a place where we’re often striving to reveal who we are to other people before we’re even sure of who we are at all. College is a learning process in more ways than one, picking up the nuances of relationships and human behavior. The success of The New Romantic in so deftly exploring these ideas comes from being imbued with a strong female edge, both in front of and behind the camera.
Jessica Barden, a captivating presence in The Lobster and The End of the F***ing World, continues her fine work selecting bold roles. She imbues Blake with vulnerability married to an inner strength, an intelligent young woman, stuck at that phase between idealist and realist. There’s an intelligence behind her reckoning, and her ‘gonzo’ aspirations both professionally and personally are admirable, whether you agree with her indulgence in this arrangement or not. Kudos also goes to Hayley Law as Blake’s roommate Nikki, who provides a wonderful sounding board as well as a vibrant, natural energy to the film.
Writer/director Carly Stone (sharing a story by credit with Kyle Mann) delivers a truly accomplished debut feature. A deceptively complex take on a topic that could easily veer into something overly comical or tawdry. Instead it gains potency and insight through a strong female hand, guiding perspective and storytelling. It’s an authentic look at the modern state of courtship, the illusions and disillusionment that affect us all, and the process by which women can take control of their minds, their bodies, and their future.