Director Hannah Marks’ Mark, Mary & Some Other People is a celebration of all things carnal. In rawer terms, it magnifies sex as an activity that today’s youth is hungry to relish in its wildest forms. There is no space for guilt, jealousy, or emotional dependency in their lexicons as they explore polyamory within an institution as traditional as marriage.
The term is not polyamory. It is ethical non-monogamy. Former campus-mates Mary (Hayley Law) and Mark (Ben Rosenfield) bump into each other after eons in a department store. A pregnancy test and a handful of sexual romps later, the duo ties the knot. Mary is a fierce feminist. She wouldn’t want the minister to allow the groom to kiss her. She wants the rule to be gender-bended.
Rule-changing extends further when Mary, propelled by hormones, suggests to Mark that they open up their marriage. Reluctant in the beginning, the guy soon gives in. What follows is a no-holds-barred and sexy romantic comedy wherein the director, Marks (who is also the writer), touches familiar territories: young friendships, awkward threesomes, setting rules in a rule-breaking activity, and so on.
“Mark, Mary & Some Other People” faces an identity crisis every time it treads emotional waters. We get the first taste when Mark goes out with another woman, leaving Mary visibly upset. It breaks our hearts, too, but for a different reason. Here’s one film that we, right from the beginning, did not wish to follow that trajectory – the one where lovers go astray, experience jealousy, and finally realise they are made for each other. Marks’ film quickly gathers its sexy mojo back as the couple experiments and sets new rules through a series of snazzily edited (Andy Holton) montages.
Alas, Mark is back to square one when Mary gets pregnant. Even though we understand the anxiety of a young man in this situation, her treatment on paper is way off-hand. The emotions merely skim the surface, and the duo, at one point, stops being interesting, let alone inviting empathy. The climactic stretch, which for some reason reminded me of La La Land, is again stunning in isolation. It’s just that the writing, as well as the execution, misses the emotional balance that could have amplified a plot like this.
Having said that, chemistry is one thing that Law and Rosenfield spark off. It’s a couple you would place your best bet on. You want them to go all out and have the sexiest of hookups. As long as they are flaunting their raunchy selves, we want them to return home and cuddle back to sleep. With their charming performances, the actors do build a bond with the audience. It is just that we do not want them to enter the soppy terrains, diminishing our interest, grain by grain. The supporting cast is fantastic, and the best standalone scene in the whole film is one where the couple discusses their decision with their pals. It also involves how they would split the check, and I must say, it’s funny while it lasts. If only I could say the same about Marks’ film. Its good sides are young, racy, and insanely good-looking. I wish it could stay just that.
Rating: ★★★
“Mark, Mary & Some Other People” was screened at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
