It takes a fair amount of bravery these days to tell a story about a young woman who doesn’t desire human companionship. Wait. Let me back up. It takes a fair amount of bravery to be a young woman who doesn’t desire human companionship. Society hates it. Society will never let you go unjudged and unscathed. Even those who care rarely have a genuine understanding. They tend to suggest you’re “unlucky” or would benefit from a measure of conformity; why can’t you be like everybody else?
Even the title “Spinster” suggests something false. It comes with a connotation of a failed life – one that sought a prize and missed like a frustrated customer at a carnival booth. What if Spinster is your jam? Gaby (Chelsea Peretti) is almost 40 when her boyfriend moves out. You want to feel sorry for her clinginess, but it’s quite clear that if they continued trying, these two wouldn’t last to the end of the week, let alone eternity. Single and searching at 40 is not a good look on anyone. It’s generally too young to be a widow and too old not to come with unwieldy baggage.
Gaby is a caterer, which seems mildly (?) satisfying. Pressured by herself and her best friend, Gaby continues to search. It isn’t too late for husband and kids, is it? Well, technically I suppose it is not. Realistically, however? People
who want spouses and children aren’t >40. Hence, the dilemma. If you were that attractive (who is?), odds are you’d be taken. So Gaby works the swipeleft scene. It’s depressing.
This is a film about moments, not plot. Chelsea Peretti is a comic actress and this film feels a bit like one of those stand-up routines where there aren’t punchlines so much as self-deprecating circumstances. Of course, those can be some of the very best stand-ups. The film is about the acceptance of Spinsterdom rather than the journey that takes you there.
Spinster isn’t going to have you in tears or rolling around in laughter. It isn’t that kind of comedy. It probably won’t make you feel elated or ecstatic or triumphant, yet it also won’t make you feel sad or ashamed or depressed… and this is what I enjoyed about the picture; it’s a quiet story about quiet-but-not-unhappy resignation. You could see yourself with Gaby as your friend. Having her over, enjoying her company, wishing her well, and wondering to yourself, “is she ever going to get married?” The answer is, “No.” And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Coupling can be agreement bilingual
With each understanding their mingle
But solo is good, too
Like Boggs and Carew:
There ain’t nothing wrong with single
Not Rated, 87 Minutes
Director: Andrea Dorfman
Writer: Jennifer Deyell
Genre: Tales from the cat lady underground
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Unapologetic spinsters
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The kind of parents that hound for not giving them grandchildren
