A t our current fast-paced civilization, even romance has acquired certain monotony and mechanization, mainly due to the vast online dating services the internet offers and the immediate matching it can be done as well. Newness lives up to its name: it is a new kind of romantic drama combined with lots of well-done erotic scenes and modern relationships dynamics. Great cinematography offered by the talented director Drake Doremus and outstanding acting performances from the cast are the elements that stand out in Newness alongside a very original script written by Ben York Jones.
From the very beginning you get ready to watch yet another romantic movie and personally, I am not such a huge fan of the romantic genre. However, I was pleased to watch this movie and was hooked to it immediately, mainly because Nicholas Hoult is such an amazing actor and to the magnetic beauty of Laia Costa. The supporting roles performed by Danny Huston as Larry Bejerano, Courtney Eaton and Matthew Gray Gubler are quite good and bring a fresh point of view to the movie whenever the story gets a little tangled.
The film revolves around the lives of two millennials deeply immersed in the online dating world and they are both dealing with casual flings, one night stands and hollow relationships. But fortune has a way of manifesting itself and it does, matching Martin Hallock (Nicholas Hoult) and Gabi Silva (Laia Costa) up for a date. They quickly find out that they like each other very much and together, they embark on the difficult task of maintaining a formal romantic relationship. They are both young, Martin is divorced and Gabi is a free spirit and they have to overcome many different obstacles in order to stay together.
Where there is romance, there is also passion and a desire for each other and Drake Doremus portrayed it majestically in the erotic scenes, one of the best elements in the movie. Not alike other romantic scenes that we as spectators are used to but a new kind of erotic cinematography. Through Doremus lens we take a very close look into modern romance between two young adults that one side do not want to give up their single status but on the other side they like each other and want to stay together. We also get to see that no matter how many freedoms a person has in a relationship it all comes down to being honest to each other and whenever you start to keep secrets from your partner it all goes downhill.
Newness is definitely worth watching, especially with that person that we consider close to our hearts and want to share a very original romantic drama with. Nicholas Hoult demonstrates once again that he is one of the best actors of his era, something he has proven since he took his first steps in Hollywood and British TV screens (Skins anyone?). Costa is a fresh and beautiful face in the filming industry that has proven what she is made of next to big film stars such as Jean Reno. Take it from a guy who does not enjoy romantic films at all: this is a great film to watch, even by yourself!