VOD REVIEWS: Amber McGinnis’ INTERNATIONAL FALLS is an authentic comedy/drama that leans into the real

The world of a comedian is the saddest place there is, or so we’re told. It’s a common myth that comedians are the saddest people, which maybe reflects more about why they like to make people laugh. Amber McGinnis’ feature film debut International Falls examines what makes comedians sad and how they address it from a realistic perspective. International Falls manages to blend both stand up comedy and simple situational comedy together to tell a story of two people pulling themselves out of their life’s despair in a way that feels authentic and honest.

            Rachael Harris plays Dee, a hotel employee who dreams of being a comic but lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere. When Tim the stand up comic, played by Rob Huebel (who I swore was Nat Faxon the entire time), comes to town to perform, their lives intertwine. Dee leans on this new friend to help cope with her husbands affair, while Tim relies on her to mend his bruised ego after a failing career. Both need each other for something, but this isn’t a romance story.

            What makes this film so unique is it’s naturalistic tone. Shot in the simplest possible form there’s no special choreography or unique edit. Two thirds of the film happen in one single hotel room. These two characters simply discuss their problems, laugh at dark humor, and drink a bit. The movie doesn’t shy away from these awkward gaps or the natural pauses. If anything it leans into the uncomfortable silence in conversations.

            This movie lives and dies by it’s protagonists. Rachael Harris nails the performance with this film often giving us the subtlest gestures to convey a complex emotion. Huebel holds his own with her and together the two have sincere chemistry. They’re not swooning lovers and there’s not meet-cute. They are real people with real desires. Their lives just happen to intersect at a time when they’re the most upset. Harris and Huebel laugh, and bounce jokes off each other. Their naturalistic patois could easily have been ad-libbed and the whole movie could be an exercise in acting. One where both actors have goals but both are each other’s obstacles. It works as the most basic unit of drama, but never dramatizes. Neither Harris nor Huebel go off the rails, even when their characters do. They’re never one note, they’re a whole symphony of ideas.

            Don’t get me wrong: there are laughs aplenty in this film. It finds ways to make you chuckle. It never fully feels like it’s the end of the world for these characters and even they take the time to chuckle at themselves and their surroundings. Even the lengthy stand up scenes provide some comic relief (as well as a tiny bit of structure to this otherwise unstructured film.) It’s got some laughs, but never at the expense of it’s characters.

            All told this film features a beautifully realized story of complex people living complex lives. It’s painful and awkward at times, but so is life. Rarely do we exist in true movie drama or situational comedy and this movie acknowledges that. Existence is messy, but occasionally we get to help each other clean up our messes. International Falls remind us of that while never feeling dishonest.