SXSW Movie Short Review: ‘Radical Honesty’ And Interview With Director Bianca Poletti

Review and interview by James Lindorf

Interview:

When people claim to be brutally honest, they typically use the truth to hide the fact that they lack tact or are simply jerks. This week at Austin’s renowned film festival South By Southwest (SXSW), you can be introduced to a new kind of honesty thanks to director Bianca Poletti and writer/actress Allison Goldfarb. “Radical Honesty” finds a pair of 20 somethings in the closing minutes of a great date. Still, it quickly goes south as they attempt to construct a new definition of open relationships.

Goldfarb and Poletti manage to cram a lot of spoken and visual information into just a 7 minute run time. It starts with the location, a diner, and the color palette, warm yellows, and browns that give you a sense of the past, directly contradicting the modern discussion. After those elements, the pressure to succeed falls squarely on the performances and the dialogue. If neither is believable, even 7 minutes could be too long to spend with this potential couple. Thankfully Goldfarb shines as both star and writer at this moment. Her co-star John Hein carries his weight well, but your eyes and attention can’t help but stay on Allison. Partly because of her performance and because her character is experiencing the radical honesty of John’s relationship, just like the audience is, and her reactions reflect our own. It all comes together to be compelling 7 minutes of storytelling that should make the creative team proud.

As long as you don’t turn into a gatekeeping troll, it is always nice to get in on something on the ground floor. “Radical Honesty” is going to give you that chance again. Poletti and Goldfarb are currently developing the film into an expanded TV series with the help of award-winning production company Epoch Films. The show will be a comedic ensemble about a community of young people from East LA looking for love and lust amidst the complex and bizarre dating scene.