Mentally Apart, Love is not Enough

Expecting a virtual slap in the face from the star of "Mentally Apart" (the sultry Christine James Walker), I told her that her latest film was sort of what Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" would be if it decided to go pairs skating. I emerged un-bruised. Ah, true love! Alas, is it ever eternal? What if we could fall in love and the mystical forces that oversee us would open a portal to another dimension in which we could escape to with our lover? In that dimension our lives will concentrate on that true love. Uh oh...those portals aren't miniature and when they open, and we sashay through them...what else might sneak through. Our capacity to love...our capacity to cherish...our capacity to...well, you fill in the blank. Hence 2019's "Mentally Apart," a film that will clean up at the festivals, directed by Joe Pomarico.

They meet at a bar, Luna (Walker) and Chuck (Larry Bernardo) and go back to his place. Perfection (yeah, right!) follows. She's seduction personified and he's a potent man waiting for a landing strip. The fore-play is hot...really hot...and when she dances, oh my! True love (there's that phrase again) seems to have taken hold and as our lovebirds dive into each other, a natural progression begins...uh oh, so does a surreal progression. Watch closely...its all there, even though you will want to watch the vixen Luna. Chuck finds out Luna's existence is steeped in a desire to find that magical portal that brings them to the aforementioned realm which they will survive off their love. In the real world, this won't last. Complacency, weight gain, familiarity, and annoying habits will erode the intensity of this love. Chuck is deep...he doesn't want that...and now he has a gal who he can take through that portal.

Suffice it to say, this is a horror film. What follows Shangri La is something more sordid. Flashes of images and some cold doses of reality remind Chuck that the Nirvana he sought may not exist. Chuck is intense and he is determined to find it. The images get weirder...and more disturbed.
Every shot of Luna is one of seduction...but Chuck isn't seeing that seduction anymore. The flashes of images get more sordid and life in Chuck's apartment gets weird. From Romeo and Juliet to Eraserhead, this film seems to follow that progression. What seemed like a love story heading to ecstasy has us viewers in mortal fright as to what is about to happen.

"Mentally Apart" is a brilliant journey that commands more than one viewing. As the end credits approach, we realize that so many clues were left for us but we were so rapt in the love story, Luna's sensuality, and Chuck's intensity, that we missed them. Perhaps a warning that love is not enough...or maybe a more cryptic message about the dangers of this kind of love at first sight. Not the feel good film of 2019, but definitely a terrific horror/love story. The direction is masterful and Ms. Walker and Mr. Bernardo deliver intense performances that will pull you in and not let you go. See "Mentally Apart," and partake in a movie viewing experience that will put you through quite a work-out.
To view the trailer for "Mentally Apart" on YouTube click this: Mentally Apart Trailer