Newness is a movie I watched because its writer/director, Drake Doremus, is behind my favourite film by the late and brilliant Anton Yelchin. The movie I’m referring to is, of course, Like Crazy (2011); a story that captures well an example of the ups and downs of young love. Especially when only one of the parties lives in the country where they met.

Doremus’s newer film, and the subject of this post, is Newness. Another story of young love. Only this time, the focus is on two millennials navigating a relationship affected by the challenges that come with modern life’s social media-driven hookup culture.

Though well-edited and performed by Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa, I must admit to not enjoying Newness as much as I did Like Crazy. The main issue is, I simply didn’t connect with Hoult and Costa’s characters as much as I needed to. It was, unfortunately, around the twenty-minute mark that I realised I was bored and thinking ‘Why, oh why is this movie two hours long?’

Due to my failure to connect adequately with the key characters, no matter the editing or how delightfully naturalistic the performances, I still thought, ‘I’m sure I’d have enjoyed this story far more had it been a documentary. Perhaps, then, it would have felt somehow more substantial and impactful. Particularly so since Newness is a lot like a modern-day dating case study, just not an especially engaging one.

My favourite moment in the movie is an emotional one that finally happens at approximately one hour 14 minutes in.

Overall, I say watch Newness if you’re very curious. Perhaps you’ll find far more to love than I did. Otherwise, watch what I feel is the better Doremus movie, Like Crazy. It’s the one that made me a big Yelchin fan and why I was so sad to learn of his untimely passing back in 2016.

Happy Film Loving,

G