Loneliness Is Hilarious In Poignant Comedy

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed was written, directed, and stars Joanna Arnow, and it’s clear from the beginning that though this is her world, her character is merely passing through it. Arnow plays Ann, a 30-something millennial living in New York City. However, this version lacks the glitz and glamour of shows like Sex and the City, delivering an honesty akin to Girls while standing completely on its own. The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Past is rooted in an unforgiving reality that reminds the audience to laugh at moments of tragedy.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is a comedy film written, directed, starring, and edited by Joanna Arnow. The film centers on a middle-age woman who juggles her life between her low-level corporate job, Jewish family, and her long-term BDSM relationship.

Pros

• The film’s dialogue-free style is very intimate
• Joanna Arnow easily navigates the awkwardness of sex
• The film has its own flair and sense of comedy

Cons

• It’s not for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be

Indie cinema has been corrupted in recent years, as has the concept of a truly low-budget movie. However, Arnow’s film reminds us that the industry desperately needs to uplift the voices of smaller artists early in their careers. It’s these artists that offer the most unique perspectives and expose us to new worlds. Throughout the film, Arnow takes us on a quiet odyssey that captures the search for real intimacy, as Ann struggles to act on her desires in all parts of her life.

Joanna Arnow Understands What It’s Like To Be Alone

But she doesn’t know what to do about it

Billed as a comedy, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is undoubtedly hilarious, but the root of that comedy is the inescapable feeling of being alone. Ann has little dialogue for the first half of the film. She silently takes in the insults and compliments from those around her. Allen (Scott Cohen) and Chris (Babak Tafti) are the male leads in her life, and while they couldn’t be more different, they each leave something to be desired. On paper, Chris is the person that life says she should end up with, but it’s rarely that simple.

Ann might be uncomfortable in many parts of her life, but she’s willing to try anything to find what she’s looking for, and doesn’t pass judgment on her efforts, or anyone else’s. Though the windows we get into Ann’s life are few and far between, they’re still enough to glean the trajectory of her life, and experience time passing as she does. The film is broken up into sections, all titled with the names of the men she’s seeing. This point is driven home by how long it takes before we hear a character speak her name.

This film is not for everyone, and the prolonged nudity and depictions of BDSM might not immediately convince every audience member that the story is for them. However, this window into someone’s life is not different from any other depiction and exploration of sexuality onscreen. Arnow flawlessly normalizes the awkwardness and discomfort that can accompany sex while poking fun at the fact that no matter what an individual is into, it’s always going to be foreign to someone else. It’s not exactly about the acts themselves, but the sense of intimacy they create.

While the men Ann briefly lets into her life play a prominent role in the film, her parents and sister (Alysia Reiner) shouldn’t be overlooked as tremendous characters that indicate the life Ann is living when the cameras are off. Ann’s parents are played by Arnow’s real mother and father, which lends itself to the documentary influences on the film. Arnow has worked in autofiction and documentary in the past, which comes through and creates a strong blend of genre styles. Ann’s time with her parents almost feels more intimate than when she takes her clothes off.

More Is Said In The Movie’s Silences Than Its Dialogue

It makes each line in The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed all the more poignant

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed loosely uses vignettes and the visual style highlights its prolonged silences. Viewers should stick around through the end of the credits, as it holds on the longest take of the movie with two characters sitting in complete silence. Overall, the takes are long, the camera remains largely stationary, and the frames are wide enough to feel the disconnect between Ann and her surroundings. It’s a quiet and unobtrusive style of direction, but it’s intentional in its isolation of Ann, as well as the audience.

Though the setting and story of The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed are reminiscent of movies and shows that we have seen before, it’s difficult to draw comparisons to anything preexisting. Arnow isn’t debilitated with garden variety self-consciousness. This objectivity allows the film to be self-aware in a way that doesn’t feel tired and overwrought with too many tongue-in-cheek references and exhausting winks at the camera. There are moments when it’s hard to watch Ann’s lonely world, as it can get all too familiar, but once she’s invited us in, it’s hard to look away.