Storytelling

What stands out first about Storytelling is the confidence with which Todd Solondz establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Storytelling asks Selma Blair and Leo Fitzpatrick to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Storytelling is established with useful clarity: College and high school serve as the backdrop for two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil. That direct approach lets Storytelling use its 1h 27m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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The craft of Storytelling is defined by well judged reactions, supported by well judged reactions rather than overwhelmed by decoration. New Line Cinema gives Storytelling a production framework in which performer rhythm can remain connected to story. Made from a United States production context, Storytelling uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Storytelling works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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Selma Blair gives Storytelling its most dependable performance, finding a clear emotional intention beneath the plot. Opposite Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick brings Storytelling a contrasting pace that prevents the central relationship from feeling flat. Robert Wisdom widens the ensemble of Storytelling through reactions that suggest a life beyond the immediate scene. Todd Solondz serves the cast of Storytelling best when a look or pause is allowed to finish before the story moves on.

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Storytelling benefits from Todd Solondz being engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Todd Solondz lets Storytelling create contrast between pressure and release. Worthwhile ideas compete with an uneven structure throughout Storytelling, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Storytelling suffers because the pace alternates between hurry and drift, but the problem remains contained.

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Beneath its plot, Storytelling is most interested in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. That concern becomes visible through Selma Blair, whose choices allow Storytelling to explore an idea without stopping for a speech. College gives the themes of Storytelling a concrete dramatic form rather than leaving them abstract. The emotional value of Storytelling grows whenever Todd Solondz trusts the audience to connect behaviour with the larger question.

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At story level, Storytelling turns College and the central character into the source of its main tension. The role played by Selma Blair becomes the viewer's route through Storytelling, especially when an important relationship begins to alter the situation. Todd Solondz gives Storytelling momentum by allowing choices to create consequences instead of treating each scene as isolated information. Even when a difficult choice pushes the plot toward familiar ground, Storytelling remains attentive to what that pressure means for its characters.

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For comedy fans who respond to personality and timing, Storytelling is ultimately a qualified recommendation. Its most persuasive combination in Storytelling brings Selma Blair together with performer rhythm under the direction of Todd Solondz. The fact that the pace alternates between hurry and drift prevents Storytelling from being entirely seamless. Even with that reservation, Storytelling has a clear point of view and enough genuine feeling to justify the journey.