Review of 'The Way We Speak': An engaging case of foot-in-mouth while debating about God
A troubled husband and Futurist essay-writer more than meets his match when he is pitted in a debate against an accomplished author of religious Christian books.
Review of 'The Way We Speak': An engaging case of foot-in-mouth while debating about God
Cast: Patrick Fabian, Diana Coconubo, Kailey Rhodes, Ayanna Berkshire, Lowell Deo, Ricco DiStefano
Critic’s Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Director: Ian Ebright
Duration: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
A troubled husband and Futurist essay-writer more than meets his match when he is pitted in a debate against an accomplished author of religious Christian books.
Review:
What extent will we go toward drowning out an adversary’s voice while trying to project our own? That is the basic premise of this intriguing human drama. But there is so much more substance and power to The Way We Speak. Indeed, this refreshing new release unfolds under overarching themes of envy and jealousy as well as competition, love, fate and mortality. Interestingly, part of the narrative takes place as a debate on a public forum. So the opponents, while vying for the spotlight are already... in it.
The movie opens with a couple seated outside the venue for an ‘Annual Thoughts Summit’ organised by an association called Rampart. Simon Harrington, the husband (Patrick Fabian), and Claire, the wife (Diana Coconubo), each suffer from infirmities, the natures of which are not immediately apparent. It’s an important morning for Simon, who is up for a public debate with his old colleague George Rossi. But at the last minute, the event is called off due to Rossi taking seriously ill. The organiser and main judge Annette Davis (Ayanna Berkshire) suggests replacing the patient with renowned Christian writer Sarah Clawson (Kailey Rhodes) and changing the subject to “The Existence or Absence of God.”
As the two contestants take their respective podiums, the moderator (Lowell Deo) announces the attractive prizes in this winner-take-all clash. With the stakes set for the 3-session event (over just as many days), Sarah and Simon articulately put forward their opening arguments. The former speaks of the Almighty in terms of the Christian concept of Love, which is humanly manifested through acts of self-sacrifice and surrender. Simon responds by pointing out that demonstrations of Love are transient as in the case of corporal punishment of children. Sarah then posits that Love defies the concept “Survival of the Fittest” by aiming at Equality for All, while Simon argues that volubly religious people are merely intent on winning praise from the public at large.
The opening session ends on a contentious yet cordial note. Simon even invites his challenger to join him and Claire for dinner that night. Over the meal, revelations unravel about why Simon is a futurist and an atheist; that his original opponent has bitten the dust; and that an unknown fate awaits Claire. While a tipsy Simon departs alone, the two women get chatting with Claire divulging some unsavoury truths about her Better Half. The following day’s debate takes an ugly turn when Simon and Sarah argue about the scientific-versus-divine essence of a flower.
What starts as a battle of wits dissolves into a war of semantics. The acrimony only gets worse that evening at a memorial for the deceased Rossi. Here, more sensitive information is inadvertently uncovered. The last straw occurs during what should be the debaters’ final session. The two go hammer and tongs at each other in a row that turns personal and abusive. Can they redeem themselves, especially with fate and tragedy intervening? Who do we forget in our quest for fame? And can there ever be forgiveness and reconciliation?
Director Ian Ebright who has a handful of Shorts and TV episodes under his belt, makes an impressive feature-film debut with this robust outing. What’s more, this craftsman has competently converted his own script to screen. Plus, all three leads do a commendable job at portraying their well-fleshed-out characters, while the love and conflict they convey is palpable. One flaw though, is that the statements on stage - while profound and thought-provoking - are occasionally dropped at too frenetic a pace for the viewer to grasp. However, on the whole, The Way We Speak is a triumph of filmmaking where philosophy, poignancy and the human experience blend magnificently. What better way of concluding this review than by quoting the insightful Claire: “Be careful what you say out loud because the universe is listening.” (And that includes of course, the audience).
