What If
2013 · Directed by Michael Dowse
Original language: English
- drama
- comedy
- romance
The story
Medical-school dropout Wallace has been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan, seems to be finding the perfect partner, Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry, an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben. Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?
What it’s like
Warm, sun-washed Toronto in late spring: lots of daylight through apartment windows, handheld-leaning but mostly easy camera work, and a soft, unhurried palette of brick reds, denim blues and pale greens. Summer scenes spill into a Dublin stretch with grey-green Irish light and a looser, travel-diary feel, and the soundtrack leans on warm acoustic guitar and gentle indie pop that sits comfortably in the background. The pacing is conversational and breezy, built on long walks, kitchen-table talk and quick, funny exchanges rather than set pieces. Tone is light and hopeful with a bittersweet undertow: a man who has given up on romance slowly reopens to it while growing close to someone he cannot easily have. Intensity is low: some mild swearing, sexual innuendo and frank talk about relationships, with no violence and no real menace. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or a dinner-party-adjacent watch with friends. Best for people who want a romantic comedy that trusts its characters' conversations and lands on something earnest about friendship and timing.
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