Sundance Review: CAT PERSON is Yet Another Dismal Look at Dating
Based on the 2017 viral short story by Kristen Roupenian, Cat Person chronicles the perils of modern dating and asks: at what point can you really trust someone? I was curious to see how this could be anything more than a short film, seeing as the original story isn’t even 8,000 words. I knew there would be some big changes to the story, but unfortunately, not all of them were for the best.
Margot (Emilia Jones) is an average college student working at a movie theater when she meets the awkward-yet-older Robert (Nicholas Braun). They soon bond over movies and begin texting nonstop. But while their texting is fun and flirty, the real life Robert is much harder to read, with Margot dreaming up scenarios in which he tries to kidnap her, murder her, etc. Despite having doubts, she continues to talk to Robert and even uses the fact that he has cats as reassurance of his character.
Cat Person tries desperately to fill two hours of screen time by adding so much unnecessary fluff that it ends up contradicting itself multiple times. While the original story ends abruptly with the clear message that sometimes people kind of suck, the film adaptation reaches several possible endings but continues to limp on to what is possibly the least likely conclusion.
When I say Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun have terrible chemistry, I mean that in the best possible way. I love both these actors and thought they did a fantastic job. I audibly groaned and laughed at how realistic some of the scenes reminded me of my own college dating experiences, as I’m sure many of you will relate. Despite a script that’s a bit all over the place, this movie is a fun watch. Especially if you like to relive all of your worst, most awkward dates.
Here’s the description:
Margot, a college student working concessions at an art house theater, meets frequent filmgoer — and rather older local — Robert, on the job. Flirtation across the counter evolves into continuous texting. As the two inch toward romance, shifts between them, awkward moments, red flags, and discomforts pile up. Margot feels both attached and reticent, as her gnawing hesitations blossom into vivid daydreams where Robert realizes his most threatening potential. As her distrust and uncertainty mount, an evening, their relationship, and possibly their lives unravel.
Exploring power dynamics, the terrifying nature of some gray areas, and the way young women must balance their relationships to themselves alongside their lovers, Cat Person is a provocative portrait of modern dating. Director Susanna Fogel (co-writer of Booksmart) brings these questions to the screen with a vibrant tension that packs a serious punch, aided by great performances from Emilia Jones (CODA) and Nicholas Braun (Succession). Inspired by the most-read piece of fiction ever published in The New Yorker, Kristen Roupenian’s short story “Cat Person”, the film continues a conversation whose urgency is clear, present, and dangerous.
