Newness
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''Newness'' is a 2017 American
romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
directed by
Drake Doremus Drake Doremus (; born March 29, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing the films ''Like Crazy'' (2011), which won the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, ''Douchebag (film) ...
from a screenplay by Ben York Jones. It stars
Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (; born Wokingham, 7 December 1989) is an English actor. He has received several accolades, including a nomination for a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe nominations, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. ...
, Laia Costa, Courtney Eaton,
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an American-British actor, director and screenwriter. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for ...
and
Esther Perel Esther Perel (; born August 13, 1958) is a Belgian-American psychotherapist, known for her work on human relationships. Perel promoted the concept of "erotic intelligence" in her book ''Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence'' (2006), ...
. The film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 25, 2017. It was released on November 3, 2017, by Lost City.


Plot

Living in Los Angeles, Martin is a divorced pharmacist while Gabriella is a physical therapy assistant from Spain. One night, the two go out with people they met on a dating app. After both dates end badly, they return to the app and match with each other. Meeting at a bar, they spend the rest of the night talking and getting to know each other. In the morning, they return to Martin's apartment and have sex. Soon after, they begin a relationship and Gabriella moves in with Martin. Visiting Martin's parents, his father tells Gabriella that his mother has
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
. She also sees photos around the house of Martin's ex-wife, Bethany, and of an unknown girl. At home, Gabriella confronts Martin for not mentioning his mother's condition or the girl in his childhood photos. Frustrated, he accuses her of being nosy and reveals he had a sister who died when she was 16. They have a heated argument where Gabriella storms out. The next day, an acquaintance invites Gabriella to a dinner party. Meanwhile, Martin goes clubbing with his co-workers. They both cheat on each other that night, but confess the next morning, and then decide to begin an open relationship. Gabriella's friend, Blake, invites them to a party at her boss, Larry's house. There, they both spend the night flirting with others, Martin with Blake and Gabriella with Larry who is a much older man. They then continue a string of hookups with other people until Gabriella suggests a threesome, to which Martin requests for Blake but is rebuffed by Gabriella because of their friendship. She soon starts spending more time with Larry and his daughter. Meanwhile, Martin discovers his ex-wife recently had a child. Unsettled, he watches old home videos and later goes to a bar where he runs into Blake. After a night of drinking, it is revealed Bethany
miscarried Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is ...
when they were together and he has unresolved feelings for her. The conversation makes Blake uncomfortable and she leaves. Martin returns home immediately to talk to Gabriella but she dismisses him. Later, Larry gives Gabriella a necklace, which she hides from Martin and they have sex. The next morning, Gabriella admits she climaxed during sex with Larry, which disturbs Martin as her other dates have never done so. Gabriella discovers Martin's private messages to his ex-wife and he reveals he found the hidden necklace from Larry. The two have another fight and break up. Gabriella then moves in with Larry. Larry reveals that in two weeks, he will be leaving on a 2-year business trip around Europe, inviting Gabriella to join him, so she can visit her family. Meanwhile, Martin meets up with Bethany where she says she is now content with her life and wishes him well before they amicably part ways. At a party hosted by Larry, Gabriella demands him to uninvite Blake to which he refuses and calls her immature. She immediately leaves to a club where she seduces two men before breaking down and texting Martin. The next day, Gabriella tries to apologize to Larry but he belittles her and she leaves him. Later, she returns to Martin's apartment who admits he was never comfortable with an open relationship. The two reconcile and redeclare their love for each other.


Cast


Production

The film was financed and produced quickly, and shot during fall 2016.


Release

The film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 25, 2017. Shortly after,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
acquired worldwide SVOD distribution rights for the film. It was released on November 3, 2017.


Critical reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
the film has an approval rating of 71 percent based on reviews from 17 critics, with an average rating of 6.30/10. On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "As a sympathetic look at two likeable lovers who don't know what's good for them, it's enough to give us a rooting interest — even if we're rooting for the two protagonists to accept the consequences of their mistakes and move on." Owen Gleiberman of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "The trouble with Newness — and the reason it's shot in such a clinical vérité fashion — is that it’s a thesis movie, heady and ambitious yet overly thought out."


References


External links

* {{Drake Doremus 2017 films 2017 romantic drama films Films set in California American romantic drama films Films about online dating Scott Free Productions films Films shot in Los Angeles Films directed by Drake Doremus 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language romantic drama films