Uncertainty

2009 - IFC Films
Directed By Scott McGehee and David Siegel


SYNOPSIS

Young couple Bobby and Kate (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins) flip a coin to decide their Fourth of July plans. They either attend her family's party in Brooklyn... or explore Manhattan and visit a friend's party that night. The story splits in two showing both results of the coin toss. One is an easy going day that involves finding a stray dog, while in the other a found cell phone leaves them running for their lives!

MY THOUGHTS

An interesting experiment that ultimately fails.

Splitting the story in two is an ingenious idea, something only the creativity of the independent film scene would devise.
The scenarios are complete contrasts and are like two entirely separate films. One a family drama, the other a mystery/thriller. In both, the main characters are very indecisive and are dealing with a huge dilemma... Kate is pregnant.

It's the same actors playing the same roles in both scenarios... except Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wearing a different shirt rendering it immediately easy to distinguish between the two story lines. The use of color is a very simple and clever way for the directors to keep the film easy to follow.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress me with each film he makes. Not only is he an amazing actor, but he knows how to pick unique and challenging scripts.
I was not aware of Lynn Collins before, but she holds her own against Gordon-Levitt's talents and is a revelation. The two have the chemistry of a real couple.
They are the film's only strength.

The story (stories) drag down the experimental nature of the film.

The family drama-half lacks any interest. It's no wonder why the couple was debating to go in the first place! Family dramas usually have little action but high levels of character development with lively conversations. There was little of either.

Also, The thriller-half  is very unbelievable. Why would someone have information stored on a simple cell phone that's worth half a million dollars to them? And how would someone charged with carrying that much responsibility, leave it in a cab? We're never given a definitive answer as to who these bad guys are or what they're doing. But they somehow show up within moments of tracing the found cell phone. It's just as ridiculous and unbelievable as the film Eagle Eye.

As for the film's message... I'm not sure if the directors were saying that:
1. Domestic life (family party) was happier and more comforting than the single life (running through Manhattan) and the two should settle down with child.
2. The internal conflict of trying to tell your family that you're pregnant is just as chaotic as the external conflict - running from assasins.
3. Big decisions are hard in any scenario.

I'm left feeling very... uncertain. (sorry)

Then there's the end...
The two stories never come together at the conclusion. We never find out what the couple has decided to do with their future, or if they've shaken the bad guys or found the stray dog's family. The lack of closure is a big letdown.

Uncertainty would have been a much more interesting and drama-filled if it used the same set up to show the results of a more important choice in the couple's lives (such as whether to have the baby/get an abortion.)

Apart from the fine performances from the leads, Uncertainty is certainly a letdown.