The Brink Of (2024) Movie Review
“The Brink Of” may have a few catchy indie pop songs, but the will they or won’t they at the heart of it may not win too many over.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Plot Summary
While Lena has known James since she was 10, he didn’t really notice her existence until high school, when she read a poem in a shared class. He had a band that needed a writer, so she was asked, and that was the beginning of their working relationship. However, as time went on, feelings developed, and both got into other relationships as they gained a following.
Now, on the precipice of their big break, so comes the question of whether lingering feelings may strengthen their resolve or break their band, “The Brink Of,” just as they were about to crossover to the mainstream.
Content Information
- Dialog: Cursing
- Violence: Nothing Notable
- Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
- Miscellaneous: Drinking, Drug Use, Smoking
Characters and Cast Members
| Character Name | Actor Name |
| Lena | Nicolette Norgaard |
| James | Tim Hoffmann |
Character Description(s)
Lena
Lena is an introvert from a single-parent family who has been pushed to do great things to honor her mother’s sacrifice. However, as she sees something could come of her and James’ partnership, she puts on hold her mother’s dreams for her and pursues her own.
James
Coming from an affluent family, James is passionate about music, but he has options. This plays a role in Lena gaining support from her mother, who thinks this is just a dalliance for James while Lena is going all in.
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Good If You Like
- Melodic indie pop music
- Love stories that consist of a lot of bad timing and people unsure if they should make a move
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Highlights
The Music
While I wouldn’t say I’m leaping onto Spotify to find the music and add it to a playlist, there is something nice about the lofty pop. It makes me think of Alex & Sierra or Kina Grannis in the beauty of its simplicity and smooth lyrics on the ears, and while there aren’t many songs, they do feel in tune with you experiencing notable first moments in high school.
It makes even hearing one of the songs, “Sunny,” repeatedly throughout the film perfectly fine, for it’s like listening to that one song/artist who seems to get how you feel at that exact moment. So you can easily go from actively listening to it to it being background music to singing along repeatedly.
On The Fence
The Drama
The will they or won’t they of “The Brink Of” isn’t alluring. In many ways, you get the faux fascination and assumption presented by the on-screen characters that Lena and James are a couple because of how they are on stage. Yet, Lena’s push that it is just short stories and they are playing characters when they perform and are just platonic friends makes a bit too much sense as a viewer.
Why? There isn’t much chemistry between Lena and James’ actors. You can tell by their performance that you should see them as romantic and longing yet worried about what it would mean for the band if things went wrong. Yet, it feels too forced.
There isn’t anything subtle to push the idea, either. They worry about how things could go wrong, yet they still want to flirt with the idea. The music is lovely, but the idea of playing a role and getting fans invested in the “Are they or are they not a couple?” is far more interesting than the potential of them being in an actual romance, complicated or otherwise.
I’d even say “The Brink Of” eventually becomes sluggish as the back-and-forth goes on, for there is little reason to invest. It is just an endless loop of either bad timing or James worried about what a relationship could do to the band, and after a while, it just makes you wish this led to more songs to listen to and potentially relate to.
How To Watch
Rent/Buy “The Brink Of” via Prime Video.
Background Information
| Film Length | 1 Hour 25 Minutes |
| Date Released | April 16, 2024 |
| Where To Watch | Video On Demand |
| Director(s) | Patrick Meaney |
| Writer(s) | Patrick Meaney |
| Based On Work By | N/A |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Romance, Young Adult, Musical |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
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