EVERY DAY
US, 2018, 97 minutes, Colour.
Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Owen Teague, Maria Bello.
Directed by Michael Sucsy.
Every Day is based on a young adult novel, more targeted to a teenage audience.
The film begins in a rather realistic way, focusing on Rhianna, a teenager at school, infatuated with a boy called Justin. The film shows him waking up and planning wake-up calls (mysterious at the time but later explained) as well as Rhianna waking up, her relationship with her out of work father, her working mother (Maria Bello) and her sister.
The film seems to be going along dramatic lines when Justin suggests they skip school and they have a happy day together, at the beach, relaxing, talking, confiding. For Rhianna it is one of her happiest days. However, next day Justin doesn’t remember the detail and Rhianna is puzzled. However, she gets a summons by text (texting so important in this film) to meet a young woman at a diner.
The film then moves into magic realism, fantasy, a teenage fairytale.
A mysterious character, A, assumes the body and spirit of a different person every day, male or female, white, Asian, African- American… The person whose personality is taken over does not remember the detail the day after. Rhianna is in disbelief but then becomes attracted to the character A. It is to the credit of the screenplay and the directing that each of the encounters with quite a number of incarnations of A, that the actors are so persuasive and attractive in their short amount of screen time, making the whole situation plausible if not credible.
Australian Angourie Rice (The Beguiled, and her award-winning performance in Ladies in Black) is certainly vivacious as Rhianna. But, A will have to make a decision to let Rhianna live her life even though A is in love with her and she with A.
Director Michael Sucsy also directed Grey Gardens and the version of Nicholas Sparks’ The Vow.
1. An adaptation of a Young Adult novel? For the rather younger range? Teenage audience?
2. The city setting, homes, school, streets, parties, the countryside? The musical score?
3. The focus on Rhianna, her father and his breakdown, loss of his job, working on his art and portraits? Her mother, busy, going to work? Her sister, driving to school, confiding or not? Her friends at school, conversations? The attraction towards Justin?
4. The scenes of people waking up? The use of text messages and their appearance on the screen?
5. Rhianna as a character, strong-minded, her age, experience? Attitude towards Justin, in love? His suggestion of having the day off, running away, to the beach, the collage of their enjoyment, sharing, her telling him the story of her father? The return home? The next day, Justin not able to remember anything of the detail? Her reaction? Further going out with Justin, his tending to ignore her, playing games with his friends, the introduction to Nathan, gay, inviting Rhianna to dance? His disappearance? Justin’s reaction?
6. The encounter with Amy, the messages? Going to meet her, the revelation of the truth? The real name being A? The mystery about his birth, male-female, from Arizona to Michigan? The revelation about the condition, assuming a different character, entering into their body and mind for a day? Knowing the character, acting like the character but beyond? And the character not remembering anything the next day?
7. Rhianna and her disbelief? The further messages? The attraction of A, the personal touches, touching her hair beyond her ear, Rhianna being attracted?
8. The persuasiveness of the plot, the wide range of characters that she met, male and female, black, Asian, white? The personality of A shining through each of the characters? The performances of each character – and their being so persuasive?
9. Happiness, sharing outings, feelings, talk, confiding? The disappointment at A delayed and not turning up at the country house? Her mother and her bewilderment? Rhianna trying to explain the situation to her sister, friends?
10. Meeting Alexander, sharing with him, going out, his forgetting his birthday, the dinner prepared, his mother’s disappointment? A understanding Alexander, explaining that he was Rhianna’s type?
11. The finale, A having to leave, in another person, the African- American woman, driving away?
12. Rhianna’s experience, changing her, her meeting Alexander as himself – and the bonding?
