Review: AQUARIANS (2017), a heartfelt and sincere indie drama

You can tell almost immediately when a movie is inspired by the life of its maker (usually the scriptwriter, sometimes the director). Michael McGuire’s “Aquarians” is one such picture. Beautifully shot in Winconsin, near Lake Michigan, “Aquarians” is a compelling and thought-provoking drama, a potent motion picture that compares and contrasts two completely different characters, and dares to asks questions of which it doesn’t have many answers. It could be considered a critique of religion, a reflection on maturity and the way some people seem to be lost even as they were supposed to be finding their true calling… or it could even be a simple family drama with believable performances and breathtaking visuals. “Aquarians” is the kind of film that can be considered and interpreted through very different perspectives, leaving the viewer with whatever he or she decides to take.

“Aquarians” tells the story of Danny (Chandler Massey), a young seminary student who returns home as a deacon in his family’s church. Even though he seems to be quite the man of faith —at least to his friends and family—, he’s clearly having second thoughts about the whole ordeal. His priest is convinced that Danny doesn’t really want to be ordained, and his estranged brother, Jacob (Shane Coffey) doesn’t really believe in organised religion, which as you may imagine, brings out some interesting interactions between the two of them.

In fact, Jacob is a very interesting character, even if one considers the fact that some of his more apparent characteristics are quite cliched in nature. He’s a cynical young man who enjoys sex with many different women, likes to drink, loves to smoke pot, and doesn’t really believe in God, or anything the clergy is doing with his brother. He’s bearded, he’s obviously quite liberal, but beneath the easy-going, booze-crazy surface, the viewer starts to discover a brilliant man full of untapped potential. Jacob’s story is a cautionary tale: it shows the audience what can happen when a person lacks motivation and doesn’t even try to take advantage of his skills and intelligence. Even though he could’ve studied pretty much anything, he abandoned college, and decide to live alone and just… be.

Which, of course, is quite the contrast with Danny. But even if our protagonist seems to be more sure of himself (being almost a perfect representation of dedication and obedience), we know there’s something else inside him. Both Jacob and Danny are lost in their own ways; the former is wasting away his life with booze and drugs and sex, while the latter is doing something he doesn’t really like, for people he doesn’t really believe in. They may seem completely different at first, but as the movie progresses, we get the sense that they’re equally at a loss as to what they should do with their lives. It’s a brilliant comparison, and their interplay results in a couple of unexpectedly moving moments.

And that’s where the real heart of the story is: the relationship between these two brothers. Yes, McGuire does try to convey a couple of themes regarding a crisis of faith and the perception modern-day young people have of religion, but they aren’t the main focus of the film. In fact, they  merely help to develop the relationship between Jacob and Danny, making them talk about their feelings and the way they repress them. It’s not that “Aquarians” has anything particularly new to say about guilt and repressed emotions or even the way people react to tragedy; it’s that it deals with these themes in a very honest and believable manner. “Aquarians” had the potential to feel like an over-the-top soap opera, but thankfully, that isn’t the case. Dialogue isn’t overly expositive, and most of the characters’ opinions are conveyed through actions or through subtext. One only has to pay attention in order to get most of what McGuire is trying to say.

Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that, since “Aquarians” is trying to comment on many different things, some of its critiques can feel a little half-baked. For example, I’m sure McGuire wasn’t trying to show Danny as a homophobe, but a particular action of his can be interpreted as such, even though it’s probably just a comment on the church’s homophobia  —the fact that there’s no other scene that links to this moment, makes me think a couple of sub-plots or characters beats ended up in the cutting room floor. Additionally, the ending, while sufficiently satisfying, did leave me with a couple of questions regarding Danny’s ultimate decision regarding his career, and the way it relates to his brother. It’s nothing too serious, but it definitely could have been tied more neatly.

Both Chandler Massey and Shane Coffey give strong performances. Even though there are a couple of important secondary characters, ultimately, this is their story, and thus they manage to stand out from the rest. The former is quiet and kind, but gives enough of a hint of darkness beneath his eyes, in order to sell the character’s self doubts and repressed emotions. The latter manages not to turn Jacob into a walking caricature, even though a character like that could have easily ended up as an annoying stereotype. But Coffey gives it his all, managing to develop Jacob as a tragic figure, a sad-sack who could’ve had it all if he only had followed the “right” path. Considering the movie’s success hinges on the believability of the relationship between these two brothers, it’s really fortunate that both Massey and Coffey give such potent performances.

Full of water symbolism —one only has to start with the picture’s name— and surprisingly funny at times —even though it takes its story and characters seriously enough—, “Aquarians” is a heartfelt and compelling drama, an indie picture that tells an honest and at times quite emotional story. Its protagonists are developed as fully-fledged human beings, and their relationship, while arguably tumultuous, is helped by the different themes McGuire is trying to convey, most of them related to religion, self-doubt, and guilt. Yes, the movie can be overly-ambitious at times, and yes, the ending could’ve been better explained, but apart from that, there’s very little to complain about “Aquarians”. It’s always a pleasure to watch a sincere, well-acted and confidently plotted indie drama such as this.