I Will Make You Mine

This is more like it. Lynn Chen, reprising her role of Rachel from "Daylight Savings", wrote and directed this sequel of sorts, continuing the trials and musical tribulations of three women and their much loved friend Goh. They all three have love of one kind or another for him, but they're all a mess of varying wants, needs, expectations, delusions, pain and joy. That includes Goh himself, played again by Goh Nakamura. Chen took all that really worked in the first film, written and directed by Dave Boyle, and weaves those stories into a convincing, authentic film that sees them all years later, as a death in Erica's family brings her and Goh, their young daughter in tow, back to L.A. The acting is still impressive; no drop off there. Chen also was wise enough to shoot this movie in black-and-white, as the first film was shot. I very much appreciate the specific actions, dialogue, and emotions Chen chose to use to show just how idiosyncratic, neurotic, desperate, and absurd human beings truly are when trying to fix what they believe, assume, or know to be keeping them from the happiness and peace of mind they need/deserve. It's a delight. 3.8 stars

Directed from a woman's perspective of the aftermath of a musician's search for love, this third film following "Surrogate Valentine" and "Daylight Savings" is well-written based on those previous films, and rightfully solid on how much of a closer it should be.

a very entertaining watch!

Some of my favourite movies are those that have now been given the term "Mumblecore." This is when a movie is pretty much only about characters walking around, talking, reminiscing, while also conveying a compelling narrative along the way. Back in 2011, a film called Surrogate Valentine made its way around a few film festivals, as well as its sequel, Daylight Savings, in 2012. Having really enjoyed both of those films, I was very much looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy eight years later. I Will Make You Mine is now streaming on-demand and I absolutely recommend it to film fans, but only if you go back and watch Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings first.  The first two films followed Goh Nakamura and his struggling career, while also trying to juggle some romance in his life. Being with a few girls along the way, I Will Make You Mine slightly takes the focus away from him, but also keeps him as the heart of the story. All three of his love interests in Yea-Ming, Rachel, and Erika are all at the forefront here, as they all come into contact with Goh once again. With the way that the story was left at the end of the last film, this movie just felt like one big breath of fresh air to me.  If you're wondering what the story of this film is, it's really just that. We pick up eight years later with Goh and these girls all come back into his life. These films are all under 80 minutes long and at their core, they're really just letting you spend time with these characters. Unlike the films Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight, these films felt even looser in terms of storytelling. That trilogy had a beginning, middle, and end, while these films could probably pick up once again in another ten years. So, if you're looking for something very light and breezy to throw on one day, I would recommend watching all three of these movies.  Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings were both directed by Dave Boyle, who did a fantastic job with such low budgets. Following in that same vein, Lynn Chen, who also stars in the films as Rachel, tried her hand at both writing and directing this one, and I must admit, after making it through the first two movies, I believe this one had the most payoff. I think her directing capabilities are the best in the trilogy, not to take away anything from Boyle though. Although this was incredibly low budget, I would love to see her breakout with a slightly bigger budget and wider release.  In the end, it really is films like this that make me appreciate filmmaking so much. You can make a movie with a budget of 250–300 million dollars like Avengers: Endgame and be fantastic, but sometimes it just takes the touch of a good filmmaker, no matter how big your budget is, in order to make something worth watching. I highly recommend this trilogy of films. Sure, some viewers may ponder what the point of these films even is, but I think you'll appreciate it as a trilogy once you make it to I Will Make You Mine. This third installment was great and the trilogy itself is very much worthwhile, especially for young filmmakers. It's a great example of a low budget being used in the right way.

Loved it. Beautifully shot and good music!

An achingly beautiful film -- artfully orchestrated by human emotion.