Themes: Love Triangles, Looking For Love, Twentysomething Life
Main Cast: Michael Idemoto, Jacqueline Kim, Eugenia Yuan, Matt Westmore, Shizuko Hoshi
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Four twentysomethings living in the hip L.A. suburb of Silverlake struggle with love, lust, and ennui in this independently produced feature, nominated for two 2003 Independent Spirit Awards. Taking its title from the Cure song of the same name, Charlotte Sometimes concerns the shadowy existence of Michael (Michael Idemoto) and Lori (Eugenia Yuan), next-door neighbors who form an intimate -- if sexless -- friendship. Lori, committed to her sexually carnivorous boyfriend, Justin (Matt Westmore), but more emotionally connected to Michael, tries to convince her platonic neighbor to find a girlfriend. Fed up with his unrequited love for Lori, Michael does just that, hooking up with the dark and mysterious Darcy (Jacqueline Kim). But as Michael navigates his budding romance with Darcy, jealousies erupt with the other couple, and the secrets the co-eds withhold from each other threaten to break the two relationships apart. Written, directed, and edited by first-time filmmaker Eric Byler, Charlotte Sometimes had its premiere at the 2002 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Review
When a first-time filmmaker manages to achieve a distinctive vision, it's tempting to attribute all of his film's idiosyncrasies to the director's game plan. But Charlotte Sometimes is as much the product of rookie writer/director Eric Byler's inexperience as it is of his considerable talent. Told in a loose-limbed, elliptical style, the film allows its central relationships to come into focus slowly, through the accumulation of minute observations. But, in his quest to allow the story to tell itself, Byler sometimes forces the audience to fill in too many gaps. Motivations that should eventually spring into sharp relief remain vague and muddled. Meanwhile, at the level of plot and chronology, the final edit includes too many oversights; it's as if the connective logic between one moment and the next becomes unraveled at rare but regular intervals. For those willing to overlook such flaws, however, Charlotte Sometimes is a worthy investment of 90 minutes. The four central actors are uniformly compelling and unforced, especially Jacqueline Kim as the complex, manipulative Darcy. Byler's screenplay manages to allude to the cultural baggage of first- and second-generation immigrants while playing the central story as a universal relationship drama. The climax doesn't click, but it's fun getting there, and the director wisely keeps the running time as low-key as the script. Charlotte Sometimes is a modest debut, but one that deserves the acclaim it's received. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Cast
Michael Idemoto - Michael
Jacqueline Kim - Darcy
Eugenia Yuan - Lori
Matt Westmore - Justin
Shizuko Hoshi - Auntie Margie
Kimberly-Rose Wolter - Annie; Andrew J. Turner - Andrew
Credit
Stacy V. Herman - Casting, Brooke Dammkoehler - Co-producer, Lara Lyon - Co-producer, Christopher Miller - Co-producer, Marianne Kai - Costume Designer, Marc Ambrose - First Assistant Director, Eric Byler - Director, Kenn Kashima - Editor, Eric Byler - Editor, John Bard Manulis - Executive Producer, Michael Kastenbaum - Executive Producer, Michael Brook - Composer (Music Score), Cody Chestnutt - Songwriter, Robert Shinso - Production Designer, Robert Humphereys - Cinematographer, Marc Ambrose - Producer, Eric Byler - Producer, Gary Day - Sound/Sound Designer, Bradley North - Sound/Sound Designer, Eric Byler - Screen Story, Eric Byler - Screenwriter, Jeffrey Liu - Short Story Author
Nominated for two 2003 Independent Spirit Awards, and hailed by Roger Ebert as a breakthrough for Asian American filmmakers, Charlotte Sometimes is a "mysterious and erotic" romance exploring the kinds of love for which there are no names or clear arrangements.
Michael Idemoto (Sunsets) stars as Michael, a reclusive auto mechanic captivated by an enigmatic drifter (Jacqueline Kim, 2003 Spirit Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress). Eugenia Yuan co-stars as Michael’s tenant and best friend who, despite her live-in boyfriend (Matt Westmore), may hold the key to Michael’s heart.
When the women in Michael’s life meet face to face, Michael is forced to chose between a daring tryst with an alluring stranger, and the habitual comfort of his bittersweet obsession.
Won the Special Jury Prize at the Florida International Film Festival[1]
Nominated for two 2003 Independent Spirit Awards: The John Cassavetes Award (Best First Feature under $500,000), and Best Supporting Female (Jacqueline Kim)[2]
Featured in the 2003 Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. After the film's showing, he interviewed director Byler, executive producer John Bard Manulis, and cast members Idemoto and Kim[3]
Music
Cody ChesnuTT appears as himself in the film, performing on stage, and several of his songs are featured in the soundtrack.
The score was written by Michael Brook (An Inconvenient Truth), who also scored Eric Byler's films "Tre," "Americanese," and "9500 Liberty" (in post production).
