Chemical Hearts | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I knew practically nothing about this film before watching it, other than the fact that it was an Amazon Prime Video original, and it was a romance. But because it looked interesting, I decided to see what it was about.

Two high school students meet and fall in love, but one of them is hiding a secret that could end their relationship before it even begins.

I wasn't particularly enjoying this film as I was watching it, but it took me until the end to be able to actually pinpoint the reasons that I didn't like it.

At the start, it feels like the same generic coming-of-age story that we've seen 100 times, but this wasn't what I disliked. The only thing wrong with this, for me, is that the film didn't give us enough. It took a little while for us to know these characters.

My problem kicked in with the character of Henry (Austin Abrams), our main male character. The film tries to portray Henry as a nice, sweet, sympathetic character that we should fall in love with, but he isn't. His personality (at least in the beginning) is primarily made up of stalking Grace (Lili Reinhart). He should not be framed as our 'hero'.

There's a difference between being curious about someone, liking them, and being obsessed. It's hard to work out which one of these things Henry is supposed to be.

The major problem with this, for me, is that Grace is set up at this mysterious, strange girl that no one knows anything about. But Grace isn't 'mysterious' in any way, she's just new. She is isolated because she has just moved to the school and doesn't know anyone yet, not because she's harbouring a deep dark secret for Henry to uncover. If Henry had spoken to her rather than spying on her, he would have found out things about her.

In addition, there isn't a lot of chemistry between these actors, or characters, which makes the film a bit hard to believe.

Not only are the supporting characters extremely two-dimensional, but their individual stories aren't particularly unique or interesting. The only one who was remotely interesting was Henry's sister, who definitely should have been explored more. 

As the film went on, our main characters establish a relationship, and become romantic. For me, the place in the film when this happened meant there there was too much time left in the film, but not a lot of places that these characters could go. They never really get to know each other, so their arguments are inevitable, and not unusual.

The potential of this film was huge. Not to spoil anything, but it could have been a really interesting exploration of grief, particularly if it wasn't rooted in a relationship. A friendship, completely platonic, would have done better for the themes of the film, and it would have made the film really original     

My biggest negative is that every single character is solely defined by either their previous, present or future romantic relationships, and those that aren't defined like this aren't given any screen time. Because of this, the film never really goes anywhere.

Overall, this isn't your typical romance movie. There are dark themes bubbling under the surface that are never quite explored, and a romance that never quite works. There are better romances, better dramas, and better romantic dramas out there.

3.5/10

Lou