Love or Lust

Written by Simon Boisvert, Love or Lust follows Boisvert’s Mark as he and his much younger girlfriend (Jillian Harris’ Stephanie) arrive at their Vermont getaway for a relaxing weekend of hiking and board games – with complications ensuing after Stephanie announces that she wants to end the relationship. From there, the movie details Mark’s post-breakup efforts at moving on with his life and figuring out what he wants out of a romantic coupling – which eventually leads him right back into the arms of his college girlfriend, Julie (Izabelle Moreau). It’s a slight, super low-key premise that’s employed to watchable yet thoroughly erratic effect by filmmaker Christian Belz Parenteau, as the movie, which runs a brisk 76 minutes, contains a decidedly stagy feel that’s heightened by Boisvert’s total emphasis on Mark’s conversations with both Stephanie and Julie. The relentless dialogue does grow a little oppressive from time to time, to be sure, although it’s worth noting that Boisvert has packed his screenplay with trenchant observations on modern relationships. (There is, for example, a pretty fantastic bit of dialogue in which Mark compares dating to the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right.) Love or Lust‘s meandering atmosphere does, in the end, prevent it from becoming a wholeheartedly engaging cinematic experience, with the film’s strong script and appropriately short running time ultimately compensating for its palpably rough-around-the-edges vibe.

**1/2 out of ****