Brooklyn Film Festival: Better Half

We got a chance to witness another world premiere at the 2023 Brooklyn Film Festival. The film this time is Better Half which happens to be the feature film directorial debut of Patrick Phelan. Better Half is about a hopeless romantic named Arturo who recently split up with his girlfriend after proposing to her and Daphne, a woman who is allergic to relationships and prefers a rotation of sex partners. One night these two meet and things turn for better and worse at the same time. Arturo is a strong believer in Greek mythology and feels that humans are always looking for their better half because Zeus split us in two. Hence the title of the movie as Arturo is "searching" for his better half. The night Arturo and Daphne meet to have a one night stand their bodies are fused together and from there they find out they have more in common than they know.

The performances by Connor Paolo and Dianne Doan as Arturo and Daphne is hilarious and insightful at the same time. You get a sense that they are really the characters by their expressive moments especially when connected together. Also you feel that the script suited them perfectly as they go through the motions of being stuck and not knowing the other that well. The desert background with the rain is great for the storyline as it determines whether faith has happened or not for the couple. Patrick Phelan definitely pick a great story to be his debut. The pace of the film is pretty smooth and steady especially when it came to character development. A good watchable movie dealing with relationships that's not overdose on sappy and keeps the laughs coming. Definitely a film worth looking for in streaming services or other festivals.