by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Ben Platt’s return to the role of Evan Hansen has particularly gotten him plenty of buzz. I personally have never seen Dear Evan Hansen and have no strong connection to the work, but it is weird seeing Platt trying to look like a teenager. But before audiences get to see him return to his most famous role, you can check him out in this new drama, Broken Diamonds. Even with films like Pitch Perfect and a Broadway show like Dear Evan Hansen under his belt, don’t go in looking for singing… it is not that kind of film.
Peter Sattler takes on the director’s chair with this new drama about a young man named Scott (Platt) trying to escape the shadow of his sister. He wants to fly away to Paris, far away from his family, so that he can finally live the life he feels has been denied of him. He wants to leave because his sister has schizophrenia… and he has never been the child in the spotlight no matter how much he has achieved. After the death of his father (and his mother being long out of the picture), Scott is confronted by a crossroads. Will he follow his dream of Paris and a life as a writer, or will he stay to support his sister who really needs his support? That is the “mystery” posed by the screenplay from Steve Waverly.
This seems like a story that just might keep the audience on the edge of their seat, but honestly, this film never takes a surprising turn. Waverly’s script plays it safe around every corner. Beat by beat, it delivers exactly what you might expect from the story. This is sort of a bad thing… especially when this film is taking on mental illness, which is such an important theme to tackle. Playing it safe is understandable when the ideas in the film are so complex, but it does reduce the impact of the film. The feelings that Scott is tackling are complicated and there is so much that can be done with such a perspective. Don’t get me wrong, the film does deliver on some natural emotional moments from this scenario, but it certainly could have gone further.
No matter how complex or safe this story is taken, the acting needs to be delivered to make it work. And now we are right back to Platt. Scott could be spun as a particularly unlikeable character due to his hope to leave his sister behind, but Platt’s performance adds nuance. There is a sympathetic nature that Platt brings to the character, which allows the audience to connect with him. The real highlight performance of the film must go to Lola Kirke, though. Kirke’s performance as Scott’s sister, Cindy, is quite impressive. She does play the character with plenty of big choices (which is not surprising when trying to convey something as complex as mental illness). A more nuanced and subtle performance maybe could have added more depth, but Kirke is the real highlight of the film so I will certainly take it.
Even with a safe approach and a shallower perspective on its themes, Broken Diamonds still delivers a worthwhile experience. Though its portrayal of mental illness is not the most nuanced, I am sure you can still get plenty of emotion and feeling from your viewing. Platt and Kirke bring their A-games and they really make this film worthy of your viewing.
Grade: B-