(Canada, 84 min.)
Written and directed by John Mitchell and Christina Zeidler
Starring: Diane Flacks, Carolyn Taylor, Vanessa Dunn, Gavin
Crawford, Caroline Gillis, Karen Robinson
 |
| Diane Flacks in Portrait of a Serial Monogamist |
We’ve all seen that guy, right? The one who won’t commit?
The dude who goes through girls as if they’re cold beers on a Saturday night?
Drink ’em, love ’em, dump ’em, and move on the next one. But what if this guy,
the one we’ve all been taught to distrust in romantic comedies, is
a girl? Is going through glasses of chardonnay any different from ploughing
through beers?
Portrait of a Serial Monogamist shows that complicated and selfish ways in love are not exclusive to gender. This queer rom-com from John Mitchell and Christina Zeidler, both making their feature debuts as writers/directors, gives audiences a complex and challenging woman in search of love. That character is Elsie (Diane Flacks), a Toronto thirtysomething who loves women and loves being in love with them. You’ll love her in spite of, or maybe because of, her flaws. It’s nice when characters in romantic comedies seem real.
Like a hound dog with a monster sniffer, though, Elsie’s
nose leads her in new directions. She doesn’t stay with one scent for long.
Elsie’s latest case of long-term love-’em-and-leave-’em syndrome hits hard when
she ditches her girlfriend Robin (Carolyn Taylor) with little more than a word.
It’s an unkind and unsympathetic break-up—cruel even—as Elsie dumps Robin and
lacks the lady balls to explain what went wrong.
The short version of Portrait
of a Serial Monogamist is that even lesbians can fear commitment. As
Elsie’s friends (all lesbians in a notably queer cast) observe, she excels at
the short game of relationships: she likes the courtship stage; she enjoys the
comfort zone; but she can’t maintain them. Elsie falls into another trap of
serial monogamy as she nearly claims hot DJ/blogger Lolli (Vanessa Dunn) with
her cold kiss of attention-deficit affection.
Mitchell and Zeidler let Elsie and Lolli explore one another
in various boroughs throughout Toronto. Portrait
of a Serial Monogamist is a love letter to The 6—if not pornographically
so—with its emphasis on distinct flavours and minor details that make people
fall in love with the city. Witness the refreshing green of Riverdale Park,
enjoy the soothing whoosh of the
streetcars, and feel the unwashed grime of Kensington Market as love blossoms
while the girls tour the city. The film uses the allure of the cityscape to its
benefit and often drinks up the ugliness of Toronto’s concrete and wire
mish-mash as Lolli teaches Elsie the art of perspective. A blogger and
photographer for an urban magazine, she shows Elsie how to reframe her
worldview. Things often look beautiful if one looks at them through the right
filter.
Portrait of a Serial
Monogamist demands a similar approach, as the film misses just as often as
it hits the mark. Some awkward speeches about dating, love, and commitment are
a little too on the nose, while the frequent social media references and
#lesbian jokes often fly like Twitter birds careening into skyscrapers.
However, every city has its condos, but those towers of girders and glass often
yield their own hidden gems as finer points flourish beneath the surface.
The film finds moments of true beauty in its sweet moments
of reflection. Flacks and Dunn both develop strong and distinct characters, and
as Portrait of a Serial Monogamist
portrays a rich and diverse city, it lets the uniqueness of its personalities
mirror the diverse pockets that make up the whole. (A wonderful soundtrack
makes the trip extra sweet.) The film creates a refreshing community through
its large and inclusive portrait of Toronto’s queer culture on both sides of
the camera, as the story goes beyond the ghetto of the Village and thrusts
Elsie into many corners of the city that offer positive space. As Elsie wanders
the city like a tramp in search of a lady, one can’t help but enjoy the charm
of Portrait of a Serial Monogamist
and hope that she finds a partner—and maybe even herself.
Portrait of a Serial Monogamist opens in Toronto at the Carlton on Feb.
12.
