SXSW Review: Quadrangle

Score:B

Director:Amy Grappell

Cast:Various

Running Time:20 Minutes

Rated:NR

In an effort to pioneer an alternative to divorce, two couples opted to enter into a secret group marriage, swapping partners and living with their children under the same roof for years. But as is usually the case, sharing created jealousy, and before they knew it, the seemingly innocent plan turned into an emotional nightmare from hell.

Amy Grappell directs this enticingly smart documentary, interviewing one of the original couples separately, and showing their footage simultaneously, one beside the other. The presentation is as unique as the relationship it showcases, providing a rare focal point in the otherwise chaotic lives that these four self-proclaimed hippies lived.

Even though the film only runs twenty minutes, I still found it to be complete and effortlessly unique. (I mean, how could it not be given the subject matter?) Both principles were open about their experimentations, and when it was all said and done, little was left on the table in terms of content and admissions.

Is there potential for a full-length feature? Probably. But I didn't feel slighted in the least bit, and I owe much of that to Grappell, who took a unique subject and presented it in such a way that wasn't only satisfying, but completely entertaining.

Facebooktwitterredditmail

About Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.

Leave a Reply