I gave True Things 10 stars because of Ruth Wilson's acting and because of the excellent script. It's about a few phenomena that many women will be all too familiar with. Ruth Wilson plays Kate, a woman in her thirties who appears to suffer from not knowing what she wants out of life along with a healthy dose of depression mixed with low self-esteem and loneliness. She works as a bureaucrat behind a desk, a job gotten for her by her close holier-than-thou friend, Alison. Early in the film, a client sits down across from Kate, wanting to apply for benefits. I'm not sure that his name is ever given; he's simply referred to throughout the film as "Blond" because of his bleached hair. Blond has recently finished a jail bid and needs an income. Kate becomes infatuated with and attracted to Blond and they start having clandestine meetings for some hot sex, the kind that presumably has no strings attached.
As Kate gets more addicted to sex with Blond the rest of her life falls apart bit by bit. No, there's nothing new here, but as said above, Ruth Wilson's acting brings a freshness to a personality type with emotions that can be hard to watch. One scene stands out: she hasn't seen Blond for several days and she finally gets to confront him. He's losing patience and she's losing her mind. He asks her, "Kate, what do you want from me?" In a wee, sad voice she says, "I want to be your girlfriend." He replies, "How old are you, 12?" The truth is in that moment she actually could be 12.
As the film goes on and Kate's emotional stability goes right down the toilet along with her other drunken body fluids, it's again painful to watch. But the directing, too, is excellent and the film is organized in such a way as to enable sensitive viewers to not become too overwhelmed.
I really don't like adding spoilers but I want to mention a scene in Spain where Kate and Blond have gone to attend Blond's sister's wedding. These scenes are interesting because of Kate and Blond's relationship: though they're supposed to be a couple, they're hardly together. What's happened is that Kate has begun to lose interest in Blond. The scene where she sees him and he's wearing preppy clothes and talks about wanting to get married and have a family is the symbolic last nail in the coffin of Kate's dwindling feelings for him. Where did her bad-boy ex-con lover go? Who's this preppy nerd who's taken his place?
In the final scene Kate is in a taxi riding along a beautiful Spanish coastline with the sun shining brilliantly and the breeze blowing her hair back. With a huge smile and look on her face that says, "That's all behind me now, and I'm riding forward with Hope and Happiness, to live my future to the fullest!" We share her relief that she's been given another chance and so there's hope for us, too.
As Kate gets more addicted to sex with Blond the rest of her life falls apart bit by bit. No, there's nothing new here, but as said above, Ruth Wilson's acting brings a freshness to a personality type with emotions that can be hard to watch. One scene stands out: she hasn't seen Blond for several days and she finally gets to confront him. He's losing patience and she's losing her mind. He asks her, "Kate, what do you want from me?" In a wee, sad voice she says, "I want to be your girlfriend." He replies, "How old are you, 12?" The truth is in that moment she actually could be 12.
As the film goes on and Kate's emotional stability goes right down the toilet along with her other drunken body fluids, it's again painful to watch. But the directing, too, is excellent and the film is organized in such a way as to enable sensitive viewers to not become too overwhelmed.
I really don't like adding spoilers but I want to mention a scene in Spain where Kate and Blond have gone to attend Blond's sister's wedding. These scenes are interesting because of Kate and Blond's relationship: though they're supposed to be a couple, they're hardly together. What's happened is that Kate has begun to lose interest in Blond. The scene where she sees him and he's wearing preppy clothes and talks about wanting to get married and have a family is the symbolic last nail in the coffin of Kate's dwindling feelings for him. Where did her bad-boy ex-con lover go? Who's this preppy nerd who's taken his place?
In the final scene Kate is in a taxi riding along a beautiful Spanish coastline with the sun shining brilliantly and the breeze blowing her hair back. With a huge smile and look on her face that says, "That's all behind me now, and I'm riding forward with Hope and Happiness, to live my future to the fullest!" We share her relief that she's been given another chance and so there's hope for us, too.