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"Strangely in Love" is a whimsically bent adaptation of Dostoevsky's novella "White Nights," set in contemporary Los Angeles. It's a love triangle fairy tale about three lonely idiots: Fyo (Jemuel Morris), a an incredibly introverted and naive young man who loves Nastenka (Michelle Lang), a vulnerable and impulsive blind girl who is infatuated with Steve (Sean Carrigan), a dim-witted, muscle-bound adventurer who has left Nastenka to save children in Africa.
The story begins with Fyo, whose isolation from others is equal parts comedic and tragic. He awkwardly tries to strike up random conversations with strangers and co-workers alike, only to be treated like an invisible man. Jemuel Morris gives a fine performance as this pitiable man-child, able to alternatively conjure up humor, pathos and yearning with just his pained facial expressions and soulful eyes.
Fyo comes upon Nastenka, distraught over not hearing from Steve in over a year and attempting to commit suicide, and falls in love with her instantly. Fyo talks her down and the two lonely people strike up a friendship. An oddball "friend zone" romantic comedy ensues as the lovesick Fyo offers to "help" Nastenka make contact with Steve, all while making bumbling (yet sweet) attempts to woo the girl.
Michelle Lang gives Nastenka an alternately charming and infuriating naiveté that makes her a perfect foil for Fyo's devoted suffering. Morris and Lang’s chemistry of painful awkwardness and slapstick comedy sets the tone for "Strangely in Love." Taking Dostoevsky’s characters and their anachronistic sensibilities and dropping them into present-day Los Angeles makes them almost surreal, and director Amin Matalqa (a 2008 Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize winner for “Captain Abu Raed”) intentionally plays up the comedic absurdity of it all.
Amanda Plummer (“Pulp Fiction”) is wonderfully over-the-top and wild as a deranged nun, Sister Sarah, who blocks Fyo and Nastenka’s attempts to contact her missing lover. Sean Carrigan is a blast as Steve, a meathead with an outrageous Elvis Presley southern drawl and very little self-awareness.
The story’s zaniness demands a lot of suspension of disbelief in order to invest in the characters emotionally. Still, Morris and Lang both have strong moments amid the folly that make their characters relatable. “Strangely in Love” is a true fairy tale in the sense that it tells a story about the human condition, albeit with broadly drawn, cartoonish characters. And like all fairy tales, this story is not about the depth and complexity of the characters, but rather about universal truths like loneliness, vulnerability and love to which all men and women can relate.
3.5 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klK0kMT9nIY?rel=0&w=514&h=289]