Let Them All Talk (2020)

Unlike some film makers (*cough* Nolan, Spielberg *cough*) Soderbergh has been embracing the idea of producing and releasing his films in new ways. As with any experiments, some are more successful than others. I haven't enjoyed all of his work but I appreciate his willingness to take chances. This time the experiment is to take three of the greatest actresses working today, put them on the actual Queen Mary 2 as it crosses the Atlantic (for real), follow them around with a camera while they improvise much of their dialogue, and release the whole thing through streaming while other film makers are resisting such a release strategy. 

So does it work?

Audiences might struggle with the look of the film (as in the the lighting, blocking, cinematography) as the film was just shot following these actors around a real ship as it was in the middle of a real cruise. But maybe not as we're so used to Tik Tok and viral videos, so watching shot-on-the-fly film is something we're more comfortable with than we may have been before. And Soderbergh certainly knows what he's doing making it all watchable while also using this as a way to add authenticity to the story.

Admittedly the story is a bit contrived. It follows in a great history of plays and films that skimp on realism when setting up it's premise so that it can do the story it wants to tell. But it doesn't cross an unforgivable line. I was fully onboard (no pun intended) with whatever reason they came up with for these ladies to be on a cruise. And that's the secret to this film.

Really the magic here is its three stars (and Hedges holds his own with these masters) as they create their characters before our eyes. They are funny and moving and touching and for me they made the runtime worth it. They walk through the plot but in reality what's interesting is their exploration of coming to terms with their lives, at their stage of life. Their insights are fascinating, their conversations punchy and enjoyable. There is real humour and pathos in what they offer us.

Let Them All Talk is satisfying for the chance to see these actors reflect on their experiences as well as interact together. I found them together to be very compelling and in the end quite enjoyable.

Let Them All Talk 

Starring: Meryl Streep, Diane Wiest, Candace Bergin, Lucas Hedges, Gemma Chan

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Deborah Eisenberg