‘Language Lessons’ a soulful master class in human connections
A very clever exercise in what might be called neomumblecore filmmaking, “Language Lessons” was cowritten by mumblecore founding father Mark Duplass (“Hannah Takes the Stairs”), who also produced and costars, and rising star Natalie Morales, the director of the critically acclaimed pregnancy comedy “Plan B,” who also co-stars and directed.
The set-up is devious in its simplicity. Oakland, Calif., resident Will (Desean Terry) has bought his 45-yearold spouse Adam (Duplass) 100 Zoom Spanish lessons from Carino (Morales), who lives in Costa Rica. We only see Carino on the Zoom screen, staring out at Adam and Will’s space. The background tells us she is in a small room, her work space probably. Carino wears a small gold cross and her hair is an unruly tangle. Adam, on the other hand, has the universal, stubble-faced male look and lives in a large, lavishly decorated home in the San Francisco suburb.
Their first lesson, titled “Immersion,” begins with Adam aptly in the backyard pool and hot tub. Adam and Carino hit it off. It turns out that Adam lived in Mexico for a time as a child and that his (and Duplass’s) Spanish is more than good, so much of “Language Lessons” is en espanol with subtitles, which is cool.
Then, a terrible thing happens. Will is killed in a car accident while jogging, and a bond forms between grieving Adam and Carino that goes beyond the teacherstudent relationship. They leave personal, video messages for one another and become more interested in each other’s welfare.
Carino tells Adam that her internet is out one day and they can only have their lesson in audio. But he suddenly sees her face, and she has bruises and lacerations. Where is this headed, you wonder, honestly intrigued.
Carino has experienced loss as well, and their shared grief unites her and Adam. She calls Adam after she has had a few drinks one night and plays guitar for him, and you’re, like, how talented is writer-actor-director Morales?
In lesson 4, titled “Gramatica,” Carino tries to cut out any personal talk by sticking to the lesson. Adam has been having a troubling, recurring dream about Will. You would think that a film in which one person is acting on a laptop screen would lack intimacy. But that is not at all the case because these two actors are so talented, and Morales’ face is a miracle of expressiveness.
“Language Lessons” is about how we get to know others, form bonds and fall for one another as friends, if not lovers. Even more intriguingly, how do we as film viewers fall in love with characters in films? “Language Lesson” may not have the answer. But it is a fine demonstration of the phenomenon.
(“Language Lessons” contains profanity and scenes of extreme anguish.)