The Departure

Writer-director Merland Hoxha here expands his 13-minute 2017 short subject into a short feature (importing the original cast). It feels a little like a Neil LaBute bummer, stripped down to essentials. Young Los Angeles lovers Nate (Grant Gunderson) and Jessica (Kendall Chappell) are moving in together, but first Nate gets a lucrative job promotion that necessitates him relocated to New York City for six months - a metropolis to which an ex-girlfriend of Nate's also migrated. Jessica is understanding and supportive about the temporary work assignment, but insecure Nate still worries about what she will do during his long absence. To test the viability of the bi-coastal relationship, Nate asks his hunky best friend John (Austin Lauer) to try and put a few moves on Jessica at their health club, just to see how her loyalty will hold up. John is shocked at being asked to seduce his buddy's girl, and from the minimal setup and flashback structure, the viewer expects that the story an agonized John brings back to Nate is not really the literal truth. But Hoxha doesn't throw any curves like that, and the film deals the painful proceedings and the ironic ending in plain fashion - well, unless one counts a virtually unrelated subplot (side plot?), concerning another incipient couple, Bruce (Jon Briddell), and Amber (Olivia Lemmon), unsure how they feel about each other and whether to commit. It's well-acted but not particularly recommended as a Valentine's Day date flick. For the rest of the year, an optional purchase. (Aud: P)