The directing debut of actor Tom Cullen. Aka the adorably shy one in Andrew Haigh’s film Weekend. Aka Lady Mary’s naughty boyfriend in Downton. Since Cullen’s take on a doomed romance owes more to Haigh than Julian Fellowes, this London-set story is unlikely to set the multiplex on fire. But it’s gorgeous all the same.
A feminist film, as well as a film in which feminism is discussed, Pink Wall zips around non-chronologically. Tatiana Maslany, Cullen’s girlfriend, plays wild-child Jenna, who tumbles into the life of self-deprecating DJ and photographer’s assistant Leon (Jay Duplass),
The pair are both American, hedonistic and have daddy issues, and, under pressure, their paths diverge. Horrified by dick-swinging bullies, Jenna is willing to fight her corner, especially at work. Leon simply withdraws from the field and (when not guilt-tripping his dealer into watching daytime TV with him) dreams of the beautiful day when Jenna will agree to have kids.
Maslany is spiky and unpredictable (she has darting eyes like Frances O’Connor, and the unapologetic sexiness of Aubrey Plaza). She never tries to make her character conventionally likeable but, when needs be, is as warm as a furnace.
Duplass, meanwhile, is a revelation. His Leon is an amalgam of several non-alpha males, including Annie Hall’s Alvy, Friends’s Ross, Fleabag’s Harry and, most importantly of all, The Muppets’ Gonzo the Great.
Leon, you see, has an extravagantly long nose, which seems designed for a different, gentler age. Towards the end of his and Jenna’s six-year relationship, said schnoz all but droops before our eyes. The title slyly touches on a conversation between Jenna and Leon which concerns infidelity and the importance (or not) of size. The dimensions of Leon’s heart are never in doubt.
