New York, I Love You

A scene from Natalie Portman's short film

Ok, I'm feeling a little hesitant about reviewing New York, I Love You because I see it as a bit of a challenge. So rather than bailing on it, I'm going to give it a shot (this could very much be my worst review, but I'm willing to take a risk).

What makes this so difficult is the fact that New York, I Love You is made up of a bunch of short films. For those of you who have seen Paris, Je T'aime, you will be familiar with the concept. Much like the short films set in Paris, France, New York, I Love You, does the same only in the city of New York (obviously). I loved Paris, Je T'aime, so eagerly awaited to see the same concept taken on in the city of New York. And surprisingly, it seems I prefer love stories told from New York. I actually enjoyed most of the love stories that were shown to me, particularly the ones directed by Brett Ratner, Natalie Portman, Faith Akin and Joshua Marston. Natalie Portman's short film was the one that stood out to me the most though. Her film felt like it was directed by the likes of Sofia Coppola. The shots are beautiful, focusing on the beauty of Central Park, through the eyes of a young girl and her father.

As a single girl, it is somewhat depressing to watch a film(s) like this because it only makes you long for what's on the screen. At the same time, however, I could only kind of laugh at how spontaneous and unbelievable a few of these characters were. So many of them easily approach the other character and talk so openly about sex and whatnot. I wasn't buying it all the time but still found it to be enjoyable viewing nonetheless. As someone who is travelling to New York at the end of the year it only made me want to leave even more, not to find someone, but rather for the beauty that is New York City. The actual city is something you can fall in love with and I think that was something that was portrayed in the film through the way the settings were shot. Natalie Portman's film is of course a huge example of this.

Don't be put off by the fact that the film is made up of a bunch of love stories, they are far from cliche so you won't be rolling your eyes too much...

Rating: 3.5/5