Starting in 2020 as a three-minute short film, director Chelsea Devantez spent six years perfecting the film that premiered at South by Southwest on Monday night.
“Basic” follows Gloria, played by Ashley Park (“Emily in Paris”) as she spirals down a fit of jealousy after discovering her current boyfriend, Nick, played by Taylor John Smith, has a beautiful, “perfect” ex-girlfriend, Kaylinn, played by Leighton Meester. Both sides of the story show Gloria’s current jealousy and Kaylinn’s past jealousy.
The jealousy begins after Gloria stalks Kaylinn’s Instagram profile. After a small fight between Gloria and Nick about her envy, the two break up, going their separate ways. Park’s portrayal of Gloria made the film incredibly humorous with her impeccable comedic timing.
After Gloria reminisces on what their relationship used to be and how they met, the story goes into what a breakup feels like. Gloria grabs ice cream and wine, giving the audience something to relate to.
Stalking hits another level when Gloria goes to one of Kaylinn’s hosting gigs. After talking about their experiences with Nick, the two spend the night as friends walking around the city. The spark of a small friendship between the two brought the importance of female friendships to life.
Throughout the film, Gloria and Kaylinn’s quick-witted humor instantly brings relatable comedy to the film, allowing audiences to recognize trends in their own lives. Reactions from viewers made this evident with bursts of laughter after every couple of minutes.
An exchange between Gloria and Kaylinn hit hard with the audience as “oohs” and “aahs” scattered throughout the theater, proving the movie’s screenwriting makes the film even more relatable and down-to-earth.
The end credits of scene bloopers tied the film together, creating a display of perfect comedy.
While happily-ever-afters are typical in fairytales, “Basic” gave the term a new reality. From new friendships to problem-solved relationships, the film showed happy endings are possible even in real life, despite the film being fiction. This film’s a must-watch for those going through relationship troubles.
At the beginning of the film, Devantez came out to talk about her experience with the making of the film. After 20 days of shooting, her vision came to life and premiered at SXSW after six years in the works.
“All I wanted to do was come back to (SXSW) and see this film take the life that I thought was going to happen in 2020,” Devantez said. “ … Everyone came in, and through this entire journey, I always believed in the movie gods, but now I believe in movie Jesus.”
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