That's Not Us

By: Amos Lassen

Three couples go on an end-of season trip to Fire Island. We meet longtime partners Al and Jackie who have trouble talking about the lack of sex in their relationship; Liz and Dougie who cannot have enough sex and cannot keep their hands off of each other and James and Spencer who have just moved into together but as experiencing a bit of difficulty with Spencer's going to graduate school and the physical and emotional distance this puts on their relationship.

We watch them as they play and become involved in "whiskey-fueled card games, buzz-killing wisecracks, and overdue emotional conversations are just part of what three New York couples pack into one end-of-the-season trip to Fire Island." The cast is made up of refreshing new faces and the way the film is shot is also refreshing. Director William Sullivan and DP Derek Dodge brings us into the lives of the characters. The film was made when the director gave the actors a brief outline and then let hen improvise the dialogue. What we see is honesty and real interactions. We see both the quiet introspective moments as well as those times when communication with each other says so much. The focus here is both on the cast and on "the often awkward, funny, and messy work it takes to make love last."?