High Fidelity
2000 · Directed by Stephen Frears
Original language: English
- drama
- comedy
- romance
- music
The story
After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".
What it’s like
Warm, grubby Chicago daylight spills through the shopfront of a crowded record store, and the camera stays close to its talky, cluttered rooms, often with the characters framed head-on to the lens as they bicker and confess. The palette leans on faded browns, rain-streaked greys and the bright sleeves of vinyl stacked everywhere, with a soundtrack that is the whole texture of the film: needle drops of soul, punk and sixties pop roll under nearly every scene. Its vibe is wry, rueful and affectionate, a comedy that turns heartbreak into list-making and quick, knowing asides to the camera. Pacing is brisk and chatty, with lots of dialogue and flashbacks that loop back to old relationships, and the emotional arc follows a prickly, self-sabotaging man slowly learning to look at his own part in things. Intensity is low: some sexual talk and frank adult language, a few uncomfortable romantic moments, but no violence and no real menace. A good fit for a rainy Sunday, a music-lover's rewatch, or anyone who likes romance with bite and a sharp sense of humour about their own mistakes.
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