Gems of Netflix June 20

Here’s this week’s selection of Netflix Gems:

Kiss Me (Kyss Mig) (2011) – For the lovers out there.

When “Kiss Me” came across my Netflix choices, I was curious. It had the right title and romantic two-people-smiling-and-kissing film cover to pull me in at 3 a.m. when I was feeling lonely and wanted to watch a film that would make me feel worse. I expected corny unrequited love, but I got something quite lovely in the end.

To start, the film opens with a man and woman having sex, which was a red flag. I have a pseudo-rule about films that open with sex scenes. However, the opening didn’t seem gratuitous, so I pushed on. Then, subtitles came across the bottom of the screen, and I said, “Wait, wait, whoa there. I came here to watch, not read.” (Bad joke. I like foreign films.)

Still, I decided to stick it out. The cinematography of the countryside, the lush voices of the actors speaking Swedish, which I had to Google, and the twinkling melancholy of the score was skilled enough to convince me to see the movie through.

“Kiss Me” is about two women who fall in love when their parents become engaged. Frida (Liv Mjönes) is a free-spirited lesbian, while Mia (Ruth Vega Fernandez) is apparently closeted and engaged to Tim, so obviously tense and dissatisfied with the life she is living.

As romantic movies go, Frida and Mia aren’t keen on one another at first, but after a weekend at the countryside, where they are forced to be in one another’s company, they wind up in one another’s arms — more specifically, Frida winds up in Mia’s bed.

However, the film isn’t about sex, as the opening scene might suggest. It is about finding satisfaction in every aspect of your life, even when it seems like you’ll never be comfortable.

Quick Notes: Thankfully, there’s no over-romanticizing of adultery here. It is gut-wrenching at the worst of times, and there are no easy moments. Also, Liv Mjönes is delightful in every scene.

Favorite Moment: Elisabeth and Lasse (Frida and Mia’s respective parents) discussing the queerness of their children.


Struck by Lightning (2012) – For a mindless night on the couch.

As a closet Gleek, I was excited to see “Struck by Lightning,” a film based on Chris Colfer’s first novel by the same title, starring himself, Rebel Wilson, Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney and Christina Hendricks.

I admit, I had that blind dedication people often get when one of their favorite musicians or writers puts out something new, but by the end of “Struck by Lightning,” I found I had laughed like an idiot for over an hour, and then cried for the last five minutes, left staring at the credits while holding my breath.

There isn’t much to lay out for the plot: Carson (Colfer) is struck by lightning just weeks before he graduates high school, and shares the story of his senior year leading up to his death.  

The high school angle of the plot is mostly cliché, and there are times when the writing and pacing is rigid, but for a night on the couch with no expectations, this is a fun one to watch. It is a big awkward ball of wit, but the more serious side of the film — Carson’s relationship with his divorced parents — is what is worth watching.

Quick notes: If you don’t like Rebel Wilson, don’t expect your opinion to change. Mine certainly didn’t.

Favorite scene: Every time Allison Janney is on the screen. As expected.