Vera (2019) is a tale of naive desperation and tough love. Co written and directed by Dante Iannetta, the film takes a sad glance at just how much people are willing to believe. And how much they will lay on the line to achieve their dreams.
It also shows just how quickly castle in the air dreams can be destroyed.
The story
Jack, a hopeless romantic, falls for Russian girl Vera while on holiday. Vera “falls” for Jack and follows him back to America. Once there, she meets Laura, the cruel and bullying sister of Jack.
Things do not go well.
The Cast
Timothy J. Cox is Jack. The brother of Laura. Unlike his sister, Jack apparently believes in love at first sight. He also shares a love of alcohol with his sibling.
Sofya Nova is Vera. A young lady who is desperate to be in the United States at the right time.
Tatyana Yassukovich is Laura. The “big sister” to Jack. She utilizes a certain amount of smug cruelty to control her brother.
What works
Iannetta has given us the world in microcosm. An America, via Laura, with a certain amount of xenophobia and just the right amount of “judicious” stereotyping to order. He also copies the family aesthetic perfectly.
Jack, when he is on his own with Vera, is an adult. A man perfectly capable of showing his feelings. He can also make his own decisions. Until he comes home.
Under the guise of meeting the family, Vera is thrust headlong and unsuspecting into the poisonous embrace of Laura. Vera is taken down like a mouse to Laura’s seditious gameplay as cat.
The Russian girl never stood a chance.
Off into the breach
At just over 10 minutes Vera gives us a picture of love, fury, and defeat. A love interest that resembles the young Bridget Fonda, a harridan of a sibling who will not stop till she has destroyed her brother’s dream and the hapless Jack. That poor man is never going to get another grab at that brass ring.
By the end of the film, we do not know what will become of the American and his Russian “doll.” But we know that Laura has been victorious.
Poor Jack and Vera.
The Verdict
For managing to so completely build up and destroy a romantic dream so effectively in just over 1o minutes, I give Vera a full 5 stars. Everything works here. The claustrophobic cinematography (courtesy of Rebekah Burrows) and Sean Higgins with that tight editing, gives us a look at the family dysfunctional. Casting is spot on here, from that freshly scrubbed “girl next door” to the relative from Hell, this was the perfect party.
Bravo.
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