Saul (Ryan Schafer) is stuck living with his Grandma (Mickey Faerch). He has no job, no opportunities, no friends. And if he hasn't lost his virginity by his 27th birthday, he plans to kill himself.
Sincerely Saul is one of those films that tries to show us life inside a trouble mind. This includes some very dark imagery and references to suicide. Saul - played with genuine angst and intensity by Ryan Schafer - is an interesting character. He's a rather troubled individual who seems to have fallen through the cracks of society. Watching him struggle with pretty much everything, including his Grandma, and her creepy relationship with a local cop (Karl Backus), can be uncomfortable. However, while it is certainly easy to sympathise with his situation, Saul is entirely unlikeable. His antics range from immature and antisocial, to just downright obnoxious. All of which leaves you wondering why he is the way he is.
Apart from a few hints that his parents dumped him with his Grandma when he was a kid, the movie never really explores the reasons behind Saul's circumstances. Although his relationship with his Grandma is at least suggestive, and the less said about his therapist, the better. Mickey Faerch is positively crone-like as Saul's mostly bedridden carer - something that is helped by the clever placement of a set of antlers above her bed, giving her a slightly demonic appearance. But the lack of depth surrounding these characters only adds to the awkwardness, while robbing the movie of any real sense of meaning. That is, beyond the movie's overriding theme... 'life sucks!'
Sincerely Saul hints at issues like toxic relationships and taking advantage of vulnerable people. While the hazy black and white look gives everything a surreal and bleak feel. But whether it's an accurate representation of how people like Saul feel about the world is unclear. The movie doesn't seem to have anything to say about these issues. Which is where Sincerely Saul falls down. Instead of shining a light on a failing system, or how we may be missing signs that a person is struggling, the focus of the movie seems to be on Saul's stagnation, and seeing his world spin out of control. In other words, we are simply watching a troubled person struggle through life because we can.
Some good performances and a surreal black and white haze fail to add meaning to Sincerely Saul, which can at times be rather uncomfortable to watch.
2/10
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