Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: SOUVENIR [Dances With Films LA - Los Angeles, California - Virtual]
“Souvenir” exists in a world of regret stuffed into one day which is supposed to indicate a choice of consequence, or of the possibility not fulfilled. Many things are rooted in memory but for the two characters here there is a lot of what is not said but the crux point of what brings these two together is just a precursor to their day together (personified by a lost wallet). Ruby Cruz, know for her role in the "Willow" TV series stars as Dani, a girl on a stopover from Paris in New York but also seemingly searching for something. She runs into Kevin (Eric Berryman), an old roommate and best friends with her boyfriend. Kevin is equally unsure of himself in a different way. It is a path of importance and resistance as they travel across New York over the day to see what is important to them. Dani doesn’t want to define what they are doing because she might have something to hide but Kevin is analytical as he is in pursuit of his PhD so he likes to know what is going on. The movie is bookended with a guy in his old age (supposedly Eric) though that part is haphazardly done and not specific.
The sequence would have been better served by a voice over in a way. The chemistry between Cruz and Berryman is alright though she is definitely a better presence and definitely has the ability to jump up. She got the role of the lead in "Willow" when her friend Callie Speany whom she does resemble had to drop out due to scheduling. She is in the "Elden Ring" film shooting now with Cailie in the lead directed by Alex Garland so she might be jumping up into the mainstream pretty soon. This film, which is directed by Daniel Ketterer-Spencer (a 1st and 2nd AD on some notable films) has a nice cadence though the MacGuffin and its metaphorical significance wind up manifesting in the characters' subconcious. It doesn't really connect except for a little bit of comic relief...and comes off as more lazy storytelling than anything else. Jeanene Garofalo appears as a grouchy relative interspersed with the MacGuffin and retains her usual snark which is just a pronounced as it has ever been. “Souvenir” wants to have the wistfulness of "Before Sunrise" but without the soliloquys. "Happy Hours" at Tribeca this year did it better. “Souvenir” simply tells a tale of two friends at a crossroads where the outcome is not as important as the ability to make a decision. B-
By Tim Wassberg
