Genre: Drama

Director: Manu Boyer

Cast: Dawn Olivieri and Wilmer Valderrama

Studio: Global Digital Releasing

Runtime: 96 minutes

Release Date: On VOD Friday March, 26, 2021

Rated: Not Rated

Reviewer’s Rating ★★★★★

***CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of suicide and self-harm***

To Whom It May Concern, written and directed by Manu Boyer, centers around bartender Anna (Dawn Olivieri) as she makes plans to take her own life. Anna’s plans change when she strikes up a friendship with her neighbor Sam (Wilmer Valderrama). As the two bond, she begins to have second thoughts about her suicide and tries to break down the wall she’s spent years building.

I personally find that films (or shows) that tastefully deal with sensitive topics such as mental illness or suicide are hard to come by. Most of the time, they come off as over-the-top and border on parody, such as the 2011 ABC Family movie Cyberbully, or they’re exploitive, seeming to go out of their way to trigger the target audience [looking at you 13 Reasons Why.]So, going into Boyer’s film, I was unsure of what the result would be. Coming out of the other side of To Whom It May Concern, I found the film to be a tasteful, surprisingly solid little indie film but felt a bit lacking in some areas.

The biggest praise I can give To Whom It May Concern is the way it’s filmed. The camera often keeps characters in close-up with their faces and heads taking up most of the frame or zooms in when one is talking. It creates an intimate atmosphere which makes you to feel that much closer to Anna as she goes through her highs and lows. The handheld movement of the camera also creates a voyeuristic perspective as it often feels like we’re spying on the characters which makes the uncomfortable moments that much more excruciating.

I wish this intimacy extended to Boyer’s screenplay. He deliberately keeps the characters at arm’s length from the audience. When watching, you often get the feeling you’re being left in the dark about the characters’ motivations and  actions. On one hand, I do like this approach because it forces you to analyze and create your own interpretation for why events occur yet it creates a disconnect to the intimate tone Boyer seems to be going. Mixed with the glacier’s pace for the story to unfold, I began to feel more apathetic to situations despite the grim circumstances.

Olivieri gives it her all though as Anna. She delivers a deliberate, understated performance that says so much through her body language and facial expressions. In an early sequence that involves Anna being at a funeral home planning how she wants her body disposed could come across as melodramatic but Olivieri manages to make it grounded. Valderrama is a total surprise. I’ve never seen him much outside watching That 70s’ Show growing up; it floored me to see him give a great dramatic performance. Like Olivieri, his performance is not a flashy one, instead, it feels natural as though you’re watching a friend of your own. These two keep you hooked even when the film begins to lull.

I struggle to fully recommend the To Whom It May Concern  despite my modest praises. While it’s bolstered by two great lead performances, and features fantastic cinematography, the final product is a film that’s just watchable without being something that lingers. To Whom It May Concern has its heart in the right place  with the message about being able to open yourself up to others which is commendable; I’ll definitely say give it a rental sometime if you’re open to sensitive topics.

For more on this TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN visit:

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3227442/ 

Website: https://www.globaldigitalreleasing.com 

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