</strong>Mercury in Retrograde

In filmmaker Michael Glover Smith’s chamber drama, an astronomical optical illusion—in which Mercury appears to reverse its orbit—is presented as a sort of astrological prediction about what will happen to three Chicago couples when they spend a weekend together at a rustic cabin in Michigan. Jack (Jack C. Newell), whose father owns the place, and Golda (Alana Arenas) are middle-aged and married; Richard (Kevin Wehby) and Isabelle (Roxane Mesquida) have been together for awhile, but have not yet tied the knot; and Wyatt (Shane Simmons) and Peggy (Najarra Townsend), having only recently become an item, are still getting to know one another. They discuss their pasts, beliefs, and dreams in extended conversations, both as a group and after they break up into male-female groups, with the guys engaging in a cigar-and-whiskey fueled analysis of a Dashiell Hammett novel while the gals repair to a bar in a nearby town and talk about their hopes and regrets. Fissures are revealed within the two younger couples even as Jack and Golda rekindle their old passion, and the importance of making good choices is emphasized when Jack’s widowed dad (Andrew Sensenig) shows up to offer an older perspective on life and love. The acting has a naturalistic feel even when Smith’s dialogue and plotting fall into cliché and pretension, but ultimately Mercury in Retrograde is more verbose than illuminating. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)