Film Review: How Do You Know Chris?
Rachel King Cross in How Do You Know Chris?
How do you know Chris? - A film that offers you nothing to begin with and nothing to take away.
This Australian film, directed by Ashley Harris, set in Melbourne in the year 2000 focuses on a house party organised by Chris, to which he invites seven people who play prominent roles in his life, and Emi, who he meets that day. Emi is drawn to go to Chris’ party as she doesn’t have many friends herself and complains that her mother is always pushing her to be more social. We learn later in the film that Emi struggles with self-harm and mental health issues. This ties in with a common theme of mental health throughout the film and how you may not know what someone is going through just by how their life appears. The audience is invited to follow Emi to the party where Chris is nowhere to be found, and watch the guests mingle, discussing their connections to Chris.
Chris arrives at the party after an hour and spends time with each partygoer, giving the audience more context of his relationship with each of his guests. Chris addresses the room and speaks about each person separately, with very raw, brutal honesty. This talk seemed to be leading to some sort of climax, but the decision Chris makes at the culmination of the gathering seems extreme. Without the strength of a good narrative, the movie’s ending makes for a mundane and predictable watch, resulting in the movie being an overall disappointing experience.
The film certainly draws you in by creating the mystery of why Chris has invited everyone there, however I would say, the rest of the film leaves the audience wanting more. The audience is left with many unanswered questions and no real context behind who Chris really is and what he’s going through - other than that he’s had a hard life. Each character's storyline just isn’t quite established enough to elicit an emotional reaction, making the film somewhat boring and unrelatable.
The redemption of this film is the talent of its actors. Emerging Australian actors such as Luke Cook who plays Chris, and Lynn Gilmartin who plays Dot, a guest at Chris’ party, both embody their characters extremely well and make their characters believable. The script is corny, but the acting is strong in itself.
As a Melbournian myself I did enjoy the Aussie terminology, accents, Fitzroy streets and other familiarities, however the storyline of How Do You Know Chris? was lacking. The overall idea of the film is exciting, so it seems that much more could have been done with the concept. The lack of character development, coupled with the resulting boring mindless chatter between the films characters, as well as an absence of any excitement or thrill throughout the film meant this film was an overall disappointing viewing experience.
3/10
How Do You Know Chris? is showing in select cinemas across Australia from December 3rd.