daily stream: a bleak and brutal anti-rom-com
2017’s *Brakes* is on Prime and other services in the UK; not streaming in the US right now, sorry
I met actor turned filmmaker Mercedes Grower yesterday at an event celebrating women in film for International Women’s Day, and she reminded me of her 2017 movie Brakes. It’s an ultra-low-budget anti-rom-com indie that uses its own rough edges to great effect in its skewering of happily-ever-after cinematic fantasies. From my 2018 review:
There are many things bad and wrong about the current template for romantic comedies, but a big one is that they end way too early in the story. Romantic triumph is not getting that special someone to agree to hang out with you exclusively, or even to marry you. Romantic triumph is managing to stay with that special someone for years or even decades without murdering each other. [Here, the] quick-and-dirty handheld style makes it feel like we’re eavesdropping on the nine London couples whom we witness in the throes of their relationships falling apart or, in some cases, failing to ignite in the first place.
Brakes is bleak, brutal, absurd, and painfully realistic. So, naturally, I love it.
US: not streaming at the moment, but I’ll let you know if that changes
UK: stream on Prime; rent on BFI Player; rent/buy on Prime and Apple TV
See Brakes at Letterboxd for more viewing options.
When you rent or purchase a film through my Prime and Apple links, I get a small affiliate fee that helps support my work. Please use them if you can! (Affiliate fees do not increase your cost.)
Like this? Want me to keep it up? Show your support by becoming a paid subscriber (if you aren’t already):
Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might enjoy it. Thank you!
find lots more movies to stream at Flick Filosopher
You control which emails from me you receive in your Substack account settings. Go to My Subscriptions > Flick Filosopher > Edit > Email notifications, then uncheck whichever bits you don’t want to receive by email. (No matter what email settings you choose, you can always read stuff at the Flick Filosopher Substack site or in the Substack app.)
follow me…
Twitter | Letterboxd | Rotten Tomatoes | Pinterest | Mastodon | Post | Facebook