Review: ‘August at Twenty-Two’ Makes Me Happy to Be 43
August at Twenty-Two is an 84-minute tale of Cal (Ali Edwards) young actress who finds herself in an awkward moment and says, “I’ll see it through.” She’s a walking 2020 Tik Tok trend. The film weaves in and out of the revenge fantasy and romance genres until the audience becomes unsure of what is happening. We begin to mirror Cal the confused at one point, which seems to be an intended part of the experience.
The romance comes feist as we watch Cal and her bestie Bobby (Jorge Felipe Guevara) prepare for an evening with her longtime love Jacob (Clay Singer). He’s coming back from a trip and is having a party. The revenge plot begins when Cal learns that Jacob is back and he has a girlfriend, named Emily (Lilli Kay). This is where Cal should have left the party. Where she should have “NOPED” her way out of the space. Instead, she stayed.
Several partygoers including Bobby question her decision with silent glares, shrugs, and glances. She kept going. Cal is undecided to “see it through.” What follows is a series of events that allows Cal to inject herself into Emily and Jacob’s life. It feels like she is awkwardly setting up for something disastrous or sinister. Then, Cal and Emily start spending time together. The sexual tension between them switches the film’s tone back to romance.
It’s odd and confusing at times, which seems intentional. Bobby can’t take his bestie’s antics either. He goes to work on his craft, hoping Cal does the same. Remember, she is an actress — a struggling one. Cal is soon way too much time with Emily and Jacob.
The rest of the film is a spiral in and out of the romance and revenge genres until it becomes a mess that Cal can’t get out of. It all ends badly, very badly, but the audience will see that the bad ending was necessary for Cal’s growth.
August at Twenty-Two is a movie that follows a sometimes vapid young woman as she learns a few lessons on love and friendship. Elder millennials like me may find this to be a bit too concentrated on whining and avoiding accountability. It’s because we have been there, done that, and can see Cal’s misdeeds a mile away. And, we are so thankful to be a couple of decades free of those problems! However, twenty-somethings may relate to the precarious situation Cal is in and her haphazard decisions as a result.
August at Twenty-Two will be released on VOD on July 28.
