Review: Life After Ex (2017)

Inequity; members of the LGBTQIA+ community have known this concept for too long. What Life After Ex does brilliantly, is to touch on some of the issues the community has faced. It has heart and the intentions of writer-director Jim Fields are whole-heart

Inequity; members of the LGBTQIA+ community have known this concept for too long. What Life After Ex does brilliantly, is to touch on some of the issues the community has faced. It has heart and the intentions of writer-director Jim Fields are whole-hearted and valid.

Dylan Holm (Nick Knipe), a resident of Nebraska, travels to Iowa with his fiance where same-sex marriage is legalized. At first, the marriage is seamless and full of life. But after some time it turns into resentment and hate. Dylan isn't able to get a divorce in Nebraska so he is forced out of his home state and into Iowa, where he'll have to establish permanence in order for the divorce to be completed.An incredible aspect of the movie is the humanization of same-sex couples. They show that these couples bicker and approach relationships just as like the regular human beings they are.

It's refreshing to see the logistical complications of same-sex marriage rather than just the social complications, although they do touch on that here as well and rightfully so. However, the film feels too long at just under an hour and a half. Some scenes and characters are simply unbalanced, but that's mostly a writing slip-up as most of the actors are more than competent. One of the stand out performances, for me, was from Anthony Holmes, who plays the character Anthony. Every time he is on screen the story flourished and found its footing, especially for the comedic narrative.

The sound, editing, and camera work are surprisingly well-constructed. And when watching indie films, it's extremely crucial that the crew hit their mark on those, otherwise audiences can be lost during a screening. Overall, I recommend this indie film because the subject matter and some of the performances here are worthy of your time.You can watch the trailer for Life After Ex here. Let us know if you've seen this charming indie flick and what your thoughts were in the comments below.