Barefoot (Andrew Fleming, 2014): USA

Reviewed by Filippa Hernius. Viewed at the Metro 4 Theatre, Santa Barbara.

I think this is a really good movie. It is a comedy/drama, very easygoing so it’s not hard to go keep up with the story. While watching the film I just found myself sit down and relax without thinking so much.

Barefoot is directed by Andrew Fleming. There are a few big actors in the film, Evan Rachel Wood, Scott Speedman and J.K Simmons.

The film is about a man called Jake who lives the “bachelor-life”. He drinks a lot and takes home different women every night out. He works as a cleaner at a hospital, but not a normal hospital, it’s a home for people with mentally disorders.

His mum and dad lives far away, they are very rich and are so proud of his younger brother, who has a great job and is getting married. Of course Jake is going on his brothers wedding. The thing is, that he says to his parents that he is meeting a girl, but he doesn’t. The parents want to meet this girl so badly, so he needs to come up with something.

Jake asks every girl he know but nobody want to go as his girlfriend. “You’re an asshole”, they say. So, he meets this girl on the hospital that really wants to come.  Daisy.What he doesn’t know is that she is very mentally ill. She has been kept inside her whole life by her mum so she has no idea how the society works or how it is to be in love etc.

This is how it becomes a comedy. It’s fun to see her experience everything for the first time in her life. But it isn’t just funny, it’s sad also. Jake and his parents relationship are so bad which really hurts to see. It all ends with kaos, Jake and Daisy are going on a road trip home again. Unfortunately they are chased by the police because they think he has taken her. There is a romantic comedy which means it involves love, of course.

I think the music plays a huge roll in this film. For example when they are going home with the car, there is music while they’re driving. If it wasn’t so, it would be so boring. But music really gets you into the right mood and I really like that.

I also love one of the last scenes in the film. Jake and Daisy are in a restaurant, know that the police is coming any minute and says I love you to each other. The police arrives and the sounds just disappear. You can see they’re screaming but the only thing you can hear is music. It’s also slow motion. Very touching scene that really brings the emotions to the surface.

If you like romantic comedies/ dramas, you need to see this one.