![]() ![]() It opens itself to the question, “is Peter in love because of the challenge?” What is not clear, is why exactly Peter is in love with Heloise? There are plenty of moments when Peter admires her talent for illustration and storytelling and is empathetic to her struggles, but why, out of the billions of people walking the earth, are Peter and Heloise in love? Sure, she’s a kind soul, good with kids, and have awkward sex like any couple, but most of the film’s attention is centered on the struggle, and the love story takes a back seat (see Prelude to a Kiss). I have one big problem with The Way You Look Tonight, and it has to do with the “rom” part of rom-com. He often makes unpopular “easy” choices and then makes amends for them. We see the pressure build as he is confronted with new and more complex challenges. Peter doesn’t start as the woke progressive who blindly accepts everything about Heloise. “…he’s spent an enormous amount of time creating a reality for this world and thinking through the struggles…”Ĭerrito wisely focuses on the character of Peter, performed with profound emotion and insight by Nick Fink. The material is treated so seriously in the film, you’d swear changelings are real. It’s clear that he’s spent an enormous amount of time creating a reality for this world and thinking through the struggles of a person with no stable visual identity. Starting with the idea of what exactly is a changeling and how would that person live and find love in today’s world, Cerrito dives pretty deep into his subject matter. Where writer/director John Cerrito excels is the world he’s built in The Way You Look Tonight. It’s not the perfect allegory, but it makes a big statement and lends itself to some interesting after-film conversations. The Way You Look Tonight is a sci-fi, rom-com allegory about being transgender and gender fluid. Will Peter be the first to settle down with a changeling? Will he learn to accept and cope with Heloise’s radical daily appearances? There’s also a political message of discrimination as changelings are unable to get driver’s licenses/IDs, government benefits, jobs working with the public, and find long-lasting love. Once again freaked out, Peter immediately ends the relationship but decides to attend a Changeling Support Group and gets a better understanding of the trials and tribulations of the growing changeling population in America. Peter’s first real test occurs when he wakes up to a male version of Heloise. “…Peter has been dating a changeling-a person whose physical appearance changes daily…”Įvery day Peter grows more and more accustomed to the daily changes of Heloise-changes in her age, race, and…gender. Immediately freaked out, Peter runs, but at the encouragement of his brother Jackson (Shane Coffey) and sister Mia (Juliette Goglia), who have both dated changelings at one point or another, Peter goes back, and love is in the air. ![]() He has, in fact, been on dates with the same person all along. Peter has been dating a changeling-a person whose physical appearance changes daily when they fall sleep at night. It isn’t until he meets Heloise (Emily Tremaine) that the secret is out. ![]() What’s weird, though, is every girl he meets on these dates is wearing a similar, if not the same, green sweater. The next one turns into the briefest of one-night stands. When at first you don’t succeed, Peter goes back on the app, and another perfect match shows up. After a fantastic dinner and a passionate interlude (sex) that evening, Nick has finally found the “one.” The morning after though is a different story as Nick wakes up alone, and Ellie is nowhere to be found. Bouncing from app-to-app and site-to-site, Nick may have found his soulmate in Ellie (Bailey Noble). John Cerrito’s The Way You Look Tonight is the story of Peter (Nick Fink) desperately looking for love in the modern age. How about a fresh approach to the well-worn dating app rom-com.
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