Something You Said Last Night (2023) – Review and Summary
“Something You Said Last Night” exists in the very tame depiction of LGBTQ+ issues, and as much as it makes clear that something is going on with the lead, it doesn’t dig deep in any form or fashion to get you interested.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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General Information
| Director(s) | Luis De Filippis |
| Screenplay By | Luis De Filippis |
| Based On | N/A |
| Date Released (Film Festival – NewFest) | October 12, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Drama |
| Film Length | 1 Hour 36 Minutes |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Renata | Carmen Madonia |
| Siena | Paige Evans |
| Mona | Ramona Milano |
Content Rating Explanation
“Something You Said Last Night” contains:
- Dialog: Nothing Notable
- Violence: None
- Sexual Content: Non-Sexual Nudity
- Miscellaneous: Drinking and smoking
Film Summary
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.
Renata, with her family, go on vacation, and while their sister, Siena, is able to meet a random guy and have fun, they find themselves playing the observer. At least until one guy takes an interest, but with Renata dealing with fights with her sister and then her mom Mona, whether or not this vacation will be relaxing and an escape from the troubles in her life is hard to say.
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Renata
Renata, who recently lost her job, is on a family vacation, trying to be free, bond with her mom and sister, and celebrate her dad’s birthday.
Siena
Siena’s is Renata’s sister who loves her but is still very much her sister, and with meeting a nice boy during the vacation, at times, Renata cramps her style and add in Siena just dropped out of school; she, like Renata, has a secret she doesn’t want her parents to know about.
Mona
Mona is Renata and Siena’s mother, who is a bit of a spitfire. She wants her family happy, together, making memories, and when they disappoint her, she isn’t afraid to say things that can be considered mean, perhaps even cruel.
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Highlights
Understanding Renata’s Frustrations And The Movie Not Going To Extremes
Renata is a trans woman, and while her family seems to accept her, and most of the world doesn’t seek to bother or mess with her, she still doesn’t get the same opportunities or grace Siena does. She doesn’t get to have an instant connection with a boy and just enjoy the moment.
Also, with Mona, you can see, that while accepting, it isn’t with celebration and love, sometimes it is what it is with Mona, and to have one less fight, she lets things go. However, between Mona and Siena, you can see Renata being trans can be weaponized when there are disagreements.
And while you can see Renata tries to make the best of things, when you consider where the bar is for Siena, how she is treated differently when Mona is upset, you can tell a lot of stuff is masked in the family. But, thankfully, while you can suspect that when Siena calls Renata a disappointment, it could just be because of what she hasn’t accomplished, it is never outright said the more hurtful option, which could also be true.
On The Fence
At Times, It Devolves Into Background Noise
“Something You Said Last Night” isn’t a drama in terms of being a harrowing tale, and certainly isn’t a comedy by any means, but it has just enough to not fit being a slice of life for Renata. This ultimately puts the film in that realm of it doesn’t want to pursue trauma, ostracization, or anything like that, but at the same time, it doesn’t know how to pursue the shared humanity in a compelling way.
You can tell Renata is observing how life is different for her and is holding this secret of losing her job, and thus a level of autonomy she was likely proud of. Yet, we don’t really dig much, if at all, into these feelings. It is recognized that the feelings is there, but the experience is purely observed, and it makes it so, especially watching from home, it isn’t hard to be distracted.
Who Is This For?
Those who have long grown tired of dramatic LGBTQ+ stories dealing with trauma and obstacles and just want something simple that may have family issues but isn’t a harrowing tale.
Recommendations
If you like this movie, we recommend:
- Mutt: I feel like “Mutt” exhibits much of what we were hoping to see from “Something You Said Last Night,” but it is from an FTM perspective, and the lead is dealing with a past romantic relationship they had before transitioning, amongst family issues as well.
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