REVIEW: ‘Lonely Planet’ Takes A Subdued Approach To Love

Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth) is attending a writers’ retreat with his recently published girlfriend Lily (Diana Silvers, Space Force). While there, a chance encounter with author Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern, Jurassic World Dominion) changes the direction of his life as he struggles with the transformation happening to his relationship and where he wants to go next. Katherine is currently stuck on her latest book, and perhaps Owen is just what she needs to see the world in a new light in Lonely Planet, directed and written by Susannah Grant.

It has been said that “Love is many a splendid thing.” Yet all too often love, especially new love, takes the same path in every story. Energetic and passionate, new love is always portrayed as a frantic whirlwind of emotion that sweeps the new couple forcefully off their feet. But is this the only way new love can bloom? Lonely Planet gives a far more measured, yet no less impactful approach, to its love story.

As Lonely Planet opens, we are first introduced to Katherine. While she has agreed to come to the writer’s retreat, it is clear from the get-go she doesn’t really want to be there. Focused on meeting a deadline for her latest book, she only wants to be left alone. Why she had to fly to Morocco to be left alone is a story the narrative will slowly unravel.

Owen on the other hand first appears to be in a happy relationship with Lily. While they are all smiles when they first arrive, it becomes painfully clear that Lily’s success as a writer swiftly goes to her head. She starts ignoring Owen, and even putting him down in front of the other authors at the retreat, mocking his less-than-stellar literary knowledge.

All the negativity in both Katherine’s and Owen’s lives serves as the catalyst for their meeting. Over the first two-thirds of the movie, the pair slowly drift together as they both find a measure of escape from their troubles in each other’s comforting presence.

One of the things that lends strength to the attraction between Katherine and Owen is how it feels emotionally based, rather than physically. Their growing infatuation with each other comes as they reach out for support and find a kindred soul waiting for them. While both of the stars manage to develop a strong sense of chemistry to sell the budding romance, it is Dern who shines the brighter. How the actress portrays Katherine’s interest in Owen as it evolves from curiosity to something much deeper is superbly done. Dern manages to invoke a lot of emotion despite the reserved nature at the core of her character.

While it feels weird to praise bad behavior, an exception must be made for Owen’s girlfriend, Lily. Silvers does a fantastic job of smoothly evolving herself from a nervous newbie writer to a pretentious, stuck-up. Despite how little relative screen time the character has, Silvers delivers the character’s changes in a highly believable manner. By the time she exits the film, she is hardly recognizable as the character we first met, but we have no problem believing she got there naturally.

Another element of Lonely Planet that helps is its strong lighting. The lighting throughout the film always sets an appropriate mood for each scene. With many moments playing out at night, deep shadows and soft lighting help maintain the quiet energy the film often lives in.

While Owen and Katheirne’s journey together is largely engaging, the film can struggle at times. Some scenes linger too long, slowing the film down. Despite only being an hour and forty-five minutes, the film feels like it is a bit longer than that. The other problem is the ending. While not a terrible ending, it seems a bit too convenient for the tone of the film up to that point.

While not bad overall, another element that fails to help the final project is the soundtrack. Never once during the movie did the music enhance any given moment. While the lack of accompaniment does not harm some scenes, others definitely could’ve used the help.

Lonely Planet delivers a more methodical approach to love that makes it stand apart from many other such stories. While the core cast delivers strong performances, an overly slow pace and a weak ending keep the film from being something that truly stands out.

Lonely Planet is streaming now on Netflix.