Living out loud [Widescreen]

Living out loud was the directorial debut for screenwriter, Richard LaGravenese, who based this script on two stories by Anton Chekhov. Judith Nelson is a genteel uptown New Yorker, devastated by the news that her husband is leaving her for another woman. The aftershocks of this event forces Judith to question her personal presumptions and life choices that lead her to this juncture. We witness Judith’s inner turmoil, coming to terms with the lie of her marriage and the challenge to find an identity, other than wife, which will enable her to relate to others. A part of Judith’s journey is the blossoming of her friendship with Pat, the elevator operator in her building who is deeply indebted to shady gamblers, estranged from his wife and facing the death of his young daughter. Judith’s financial assistance of Pat and potential romance, as well as her friendship with a sultry nightclub singer, directs her on a path that crystallises her ambitions. This is a sensitively written film, impressive in its observations of the emotional lives of the protagonists and the struggles that ensue.