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This Kiwi rom-com makes an agreeable if less than remarkable impression as it charts the disintegrating marriage of Simon and Pam. To be fair, it's heavier on the rom than the com, and the rom is fairly thin on their ground. But that's rather the point.
Simon (the reliable Joel Edgerton) is one half a golden couple whose relationship hits a wall when his eyes wander to exotic Katrien, his wife's new best friend. Meanwhile, Katrien's ex-husband joins Simon's men's group formed by yet another friend whose wife has become a dyke. The ensuing emotional chaos is the kind usually experienced by a particular breed of middle-class Americans and in this regard, Separation City is a very middle class film.
Narrative contrivances aside, and there are more than absolutely necessary, Separation City offers an interesting exploration of the mechanics of a breakdown and how it happens to the most unlikely people. In doing so, it never strays far from decent, middle-class respectability in that discussion. And at the end of the day, likeable, decent people don't make for exciting drama. Probably why King Lear, or Joan Collins, in no way resemble your parents. Where would be the fun in that?
// COLIN FRASER
moviereview colin fraser film movie australia review critic flicks