EIFF 2014: Something, Anything

Something, Anything is a concise, fascinating exploration of American life, making pointed use of Southern cultural values for a more universal story of malaise and vulnerability.

Young Tennessee newlywed Peggy (the terrific Ashley Shelton) embarks on a continued path of abandonment following the response to a sudden tragedy by both herself and those around her. She ostensibly leaves her husband, drifts away from friends, leaves her secure real estate career, and removes most technology from her life, all in an abstract pursuit of finding a more enriching purpose to live for beyond the societal norms.

Unlike more traditional self-discovery films its narrative may superficially resemble, Paul Harrill’s feature debut doesn’t posit Peggy’s journey as a life-defining one, whether positive or self-destructive. Rather, it is more an exploration of the vital period of transition, straying from pushing forth actual agendas regarding the dilemmas its protagonist faces, even as it delves into some spiritual territory. In its bourgeois shackle-breaking concerns as combined with spiritual pursuit, it also provides an intriguing vision of an older form of Hollywood drama as filtered through a more muted, economic aesthetic.