And While We Were Here (review)

Review by Caitlyn Thompson

And While We Were Here is about a weary couple who, while on a brief trip in Italy, are forced to confront their failing relationship when the wife has an affair with a younger man.

Kate Bosworth’s Jane is haunted by her inability to have children. She is stuck in a hapless marriage unable to move the relationship forward. Jane and her husband Leonard’s exchanges are short and harsh.

Leonard, played by Iddo Goldberg, never has time to engage with her. His time is overwhelmed with his career as a violist and when he is present he is condescending and dismissive.  It’s difficult to tell at first whether or not his demanding work or his wife’s constantly dragging mood instigates his behavior.

Kate Bosworth’s stiff demeanor works well in this subtle role. Even though the script is weak, her portrayal of desperation is quite powerful. Her intense stares and fragile stature create a sympathetic character especially in contrast to her brutish husband.

Jane doesn’t speak much and when she does she is meek and passive. However, as the film progresses it becomes clear that Leonard’s abrasive self-centeredness is smothering her.

While journeying around Italy, Jane bumps into a young man named Caleb. While he is supposed to be carefree and charming, his hovering seems driven out of boredom and is more annoying than endearing.  Jamie Blackley is sweet enough but his character has little depth, only a naïve, puppy-love kindness that involves zero forward thinking or rational.

It’s understandable that Jane is seduced by Caleb’s attention. He’s young, handsome and engaging. He asks a lot of questions and tells a lot of stories. Caleb excites Jane and when she exudes this happiness toward her husband he shuts down her joy instantly. He’s older and disheartened by what he perceives is immaturity. All Jane wants him to do is show some sort of emotion and he cannot deliver.

Jane and Caleb’s affair is depicted through a series of mini-adventures throughout Italy, which have a teen-romance air about them. It’s an odd couple but it’s fun to see them enjoying the sun and their romantic surroundings however briefly. Jane isn’t head over heals for this young kid, she is just starved for attention and needs to feel wanted.

Blackley’s best moment of the film is when he describes the trip Jane is supposed to take with him with tears running down his face. This subtle begging and sadness was the strongest point in the film.
A subplot of the movie involves Jane’s novel in progress. She listens to her grandmother’s stories on tape about war, love, and life. This part of the film wasn’t too engaging and felt out of place. It serves as the soundtrack and inspires Jane’s final action of going out on her own and discovering herself without a partner.

In And While We Were Here the major confrontation ends in Leonard’s submission. In films featuring failing couples, usually both parties hack it out until blue in the cheeks, but Leonard has been battling Jane’s indifference for so long that he is willing to submit to her needs in order for her regain some happiness. At first the act seems selfless, but is it? Is he really just trying to get her to leave him in peace for the remainder of their trip? I was proud that Jane chose neither her husband nor her young companion, realizing that she needs to live her life and find her own stories. 

I love films that depict relationships in turmoil but And While We Were Here wasn’t my favorite. Its predictability and curt dialogue are plain and a little boring. The grandmother/novel portion of the story was unbalanced and explained poorly, and the affair wasn’t seductive enough.

Emotions are never high, but perhaps that’s what the movie strives for – pained indifference. If that’s the case, than it was a success, but again, still not my favorite presentation of this story.

The performances are adequate but if you’re looking for emotional despair between partners, see Revolutionary Road, Blue Valentine, or Rabbit Hole.