Did anyone else have trouble (1) identifying which girl was Heather and which was Tori? I think I totally had them flipped initially. (2) the 2 girls' looks and personalities also seemed to blend...not nearly as distinctive in either as the two main guy characters--or even the supporting role of Kate, a very distinctive persona. Anyone else find this confusing? Thanks.
shareI was confused throughout most of the film. I only knew for sure when a text pointed it out or they were called by name.
shareI agree--and being called by name didn't seem to happen that frequently and when it did, often it was a nickname like "Poopdick" (or some variation on that). I also had trouble seeing whose female point of view was driving the story: I KNEW Scott was the primary male driving the story with his voiceovers, but I had thought at first it was the girl who had "breakup sex" who was the main female (all her issues w/wanting to drop out of college etc). So when the first female voiceover occurred, I thought it was HER voice, but I think it was actual the other girl.
shareI too was completely confused about who was who. They looked way too similar. All the characters felt pretty soulless.
I was able to tell them apart I thought Heather was absolutely beautiful, and she was the one that always wore a great sweater.
-Don't fall in love with somebody who dosn't love you back-
Okay, so here's the confusion: Heather was the one who had break-up sex with Scott at the very beginning and wore the same gray workout pullover throughout most of the film; I dont' think she wore a single sweater. Heather looked very frumpy, although she was supposedly beautiful in high school (see her staring at a high school photo of herself on wall). I thought HEATHER was going to be the female voice of the film (her thoughts of dying and wanting to give up college etc) until suddenly as she's gazing at her high school photo, we hear a voice over and a different girl riding on a bus...a girl who did indeed look beautiful and I remember wearing a green sweater at one point...but who supposedly was the loser in high school. I replayed the grocery store scene several times where the clerk says "Heather just said she broke up with Scott"--because I thought I was LOOKING at Heather. I actually thought they had made a mistake in dialogue!
shareIt will be interesting to see if any of the critics say anything about it in The Chair.
I had a similar problem.
What's interesting is that on The Chair, one of the producers (Chris Moore?) pointed out just how similar they looked when Anna was going through casting. They mentioned that it might be a problem, but Anna didn't seem to notice or be concerned.
I don't think it would have been a problem if they had styled them differently, given one a shorter haircut or different color hair. Or, if they had spent more time introducing characters in general. It seemed like there were a lot of characters thrown at us right away and it was tough to keep track of them all, though maybe that was a necessary evil in light of the shorter running time of the movie. It didn't help that, at various times, characters were referred to by first names, last names, and nicknames. That all made it tough to pinpoint which character was which in the early going.
Once the movie gets rolling, things clear up, but it took a bit of time/work to sort out the characters. Obviously, Shane's movie didn't have that problem, both because the characters look vastly different and because his ex-girlfriend is such an absurdly over-the-top character. Also, in Shane's movie, the ex-girlfriend falls to the wayside, while Anna's movie keeps her front and center.
Anyway, I think both actresses did well with their respective parts in Anna's movie, but I think it would have been a real service to the audience to more effectively differentiate them.
Agreed. Another thing that bothered me was Anna's performance. It was a ridiculous character that added nothing to the film. Her nodding and making silly faces was a distraction.
shareIn episode four of The Chair, when they're auditioning Toby by Skype, there's a shot of the two actresses sitting together at a conference table. Seriously, they could be sisters. Same hair color. Same eye color. Same build and hair style. The only noticeable difference is that Claire Chapelli, the actress playing Heather, could be like an eighth Asian.
But then you see the director coming over to join them. She's a little older but cut pretty much in the same mold. Then you think, Ah, yes, the autobiographical film....
I honestly don't know why people are saying they had trouble telling the characters Heather and Tori apart in the film. As I had no trouble identifying who was who in this movie and found each, Tori and Heather, very much distinguishable throughout the film. The character of Heather for one wore the same sweater through most of the film. Also I did NOT think both actresses' faces look very much alike especially since Claire Chapelli's (Heather) skin is tanner, has a longer and more symmetrical face and has a more slimmer body compared to Rachel Keller's (Tori) lesser skinny frame, rounder face and paler complexion. Not to mention their voices did not sound the same, they spoke differently in form and they each acted unlike each other.
The movie was also not too hard to follow. At least I didn't find it to be so. My main problem with this film was the ending, as it left plenty unanswered and we don't know where the characters are heading from there on out.
I did initially but only did the first 20 minutes or so. Ya know, that happens in real life, too. I really find it a non issue. To me, the movie was good enough to want to watch again, at which point there will be no confusion.
Agreed on top any unanswered questions...unless a sequel is possible that can tie them up. I'd watch it, and look fwd to it even. I wasn't bothered by Anna's character either....quirky but mostly quiet.
Shane's movie was....probably the worst movie I've ever seen....and that's no exxageration. He seems a bit self absorbed and obsessed even...given the amount he played as various characters in his film. I hated it and was upset I had to sit through the entire thing to answer questions for the survey. It was offensive and utterly disgusting.