Out of Love

Suffocating and tedious, the bumpy relationship drama Out of Love centers on a once-hopeful romance that sours quickly and brings out the crazy in both people. Varya (Naomi Velissariou) and Nikolai (Daniil Vorobyov) meet over coffee and intuitively know that a passionate affair is ahead of them should they choose to take the step. They do, and after a brief can’t-keep-their-hands-off-each-other honeymoon, the fireworks start. Varya lashes out, breaking stuff, getting weird at parties; Nikolai tries to contain and control her, but ultimately turns violent. There’s nothing in any of this that is remotely clarifying about how love goes wrong, or about the meaning of bringing baggage into relationships, no matter how good things are in the early days. Writer-director Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito emphasizes the claustrophobia of erotic fixation, strategically shooting many scenes in a tiny kitchen where everything from nurturing to tantrums plays out. It’s a smart move, but ultimately doesn’t make this couple any more interesting or sympathetic. Not recommended. (T. Keogh)