Six friends meet up for the first time in almost a decade for a weekend of reminisces and revelry in Re: Uniting. But there are secrets that have been festering for years, feelings unaddressed, and an unexpected development that could change the course of the entire friendship.
Re: Uniting
Laura Adkin (director and writer), Stirling Bancroft (cinematography), Alex Leigh Baxter (editing)
Michelle Harrison, Bronwen Smith, Jesse L. Martin, Roger Cross, David James Lewis, Carmen Moore (cast)
October 29, 2023 (Austin Film Festival)
I was sent a screener for Re: Uniting when I couldn’t attend the film’s premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The feature film debut of actor/director Laura Adkin, Re: Uniting follows six friends whose lives have gone in wildly different directions. Host Rachel (Michelle Harrison) has meticulously planned a weekend for her friends and they’re going to stick to her schedule whether they like it or not. Her husband, Michael (Jesse L. Martin), a lawyer who’s done very well for himself, with a little help from his wife’s windfall from years ago, isn’t all that invested in this reunion.
Then we have superstar footballer (the American kind) Collin (Roger Cross), now a morning TV host who’s harbouring a career-ending secret. In Collin’s corner is Danny (David James Lewis), Collin’s executive assistant who’s basically never grown up since the heyday of college. On the opposite spectrum is Carrie (Bronwen Smith), hyper-competent mum of two who’s suddenly facing the consequences of her youthful digressions. And finally, there’s Natalie (Carmen Moore), a neurosurgeon at the top of her game with absolutely zero social life.
At one point, these six people in Re: Uniting were close—best friends, lovers, champions for each other. But some have found success in life, others are struggling. And of course, all those secrets, some new, some very old, keep threatening to resurface and destroy more than just this friends’ circle.
I was fascinated by the concept of Re: Uniting—we see so many friends’ reunions when people are in their 30s and figuring life out. What about the late 40s and early 50s? When everything should be settled, and you’re supposed to be looking forward to the retirement years? What happens when that stage of your life is exactly the opposite of what you hoped for? That’s what I really wanted to see in Re: Uniting.
The film doesn’t exactly progress in that direction, but these issues form the basis of the relationship dynamics between the friends. We see this sprawling, modern home that Rachel and Michael live in. Collin and Natalie have more money than they know what to do with. Danny’s safe financially as long as he’s near Collin. Compared to her friends, Carrie is in a dismal state—working long hours alongside her husband to put their children through college.
But money isn’t the only problem—there are underlying romantic tensions, some brewing from 20 years ago which come to a head during the weekend. I probably could have done with more of the financial tension than the romance, but that’s more a personal choice because the financial state of this world is dismal.
What I was very interested in exploring in Re: Uniting were the gender dynamics. Periodically, the friends split up into gendered groups. The men talking about romantic exploits and their jobs; the women about their children (or lack thereof in Natalie’s case), and their sacrifices. While it’s definitely believable that the group gets divided up in this way, the film itself doesn’t say much about it. Are the men only talking about love and work because that’s all they know about each other any more? Or is it the safest bet considering the facts about their life that they want to hide? Why is motherhood such a central topic to the women? Carrie bemoans her adult identity just being ‘mom’, but what about Rachel? What does she even do? We never learn that. I would have liked if Natalie had enjoyed her success and her childlessness—this film does fall into the trope of the successful single, child-free woman being unhappy about her lack of love and children.
In fact, Re: Uniting falls into a few tropes—there’s a short queer story which I think could have been handled better. The only non-thin character, Carrie, is the frumpy, unhappy one. Two characters randomly kiss without preamble—there’s a throwaway line later that I believe is meant to explain it but there’s not enough justification. Near the end of the film, there’s a touching scene between Rachel and her daughter singing but it comes from nowhere. Why this song? Why are only the two of them singing? It feels like forced sentiment when the final act already has emotional heft.
In the press release I was sent, it was mentioned that diversity and inclusion are important to writer/director Adkin but despite the diversity on screen, race is barely touched upon in Re: Uniting. While I appreciate people of different races just existing within the story, since this point was mentioned in the press release, I was expecting racial dynamics to be examined in the film.
I think these issues are more obvious because this is Adkin’s first feature. Re: Uniting isn’t as polished as it could be, and we’ll most likely see a ton of growth when Adkin’s next feature comes our way. Because there are some incredible moments in this film. The scene of the three women, Rachel, Carrie, and Natalie, drinking and smoking and pouring their hearts out was well-paced and meaningfully shot. No unnecessary cuts, just a camera, words and actors doing their best work.
Later in the film, the six friends explode at each other, partly out of fear, partly because they just need to vent, and that was extremely well-edited. I could hear everyone, even when they were talking over each other, which is great editing and sound editing, in my books. The actors’ expressions are just perfect—the reactions gave away so much about the what the characters were thinking before they had had a chance to speak. It’s one of those rich dramatic scenes that could benefit from rewatches—and yes, I did rewatch this sequence.
While the story is good, it’s buoyed by seriously strong performances and amazing chemistry between the actors. Chemistry is so hard to accomplish but Re: Uniting makes it look easy—it’s so easy to believe that these six people have been friends for so long, without any need for exposition. That’s great casting.
The acting is deceptively excellent. It’s funny how many alumni from the CWVerse, especially The Flash, appear in this film—I don’t know whether that contributed to the chemistry but it worked. I’ve loved Jesse L. Martin’s Joe West on The Flash and though he’s a much more somber character as Michael, he’s still a delight to watch. Michelle Harrison does a lot of the emotional work in Re: Uniting and she does a solid job. Both Cross and Lewis do a good job of playing the uptight pseudo-playboy and the actual playboy.
But the scene-stealers for me were Smith’s Carrie and Moore’s Natalie. There’s a moment during the sequence when the friends are arguing that cemented Smith’s abilities for me. One of the friends reveals having to live a difficult lie, and while the others are shocked, Smith’s Carrie leaps up and immediately goes into nurturing mode. It’s so simple and effortless and organic—I loved it. I first encountered Carmen Moore in The Flash as Captain Kristen Kramer, a no-nonsense police chief overcoming a hard life. Moore’s Natalie is wildly different in Re: Uniting—hilarious, light, the life of the party. Her jollity doesn’t seem forced—it’s completely believable that Natalie wants nothing but to let her hair down during the weekend.
The cinematography for Re: Uniting is also gorgeous. Shot on Bowen Island, near Vancouver, the film makes the most of the lake setting and the beautiful mountains. There’s really nothing like watching a film shot on location. The realism of actors interacting with their surroundings adds so much to the story and the relationships.
While the ending of Re: Uniting felt a bit overwrought, it did hit me in the emotional guts. I don’t know if I’m just in a sensitive state right now, but I was very moved. I’m glad I watched Re: Uniting. It’s not a perfect film, suffering from some first-time director blues but I loved the concept, the performances, and the incredible chemistry between the actors. And of course, those amazing lake views.
