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The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is a 2023 American comedy film, written by, directed by, and starring Joanna Arnow. It also stars Scott Cohen, Babak Tafti, Arnow, Michael Cyril Creighton and Alysia Reiner. Sean Baker serves as an executive producer.
It had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight section on May 19, 2023. It was released in the United States on April 26, 2024.
Plot
Ann is a thirty-three year-old woman in a long-term casual BDSM relationship with Allen as his submissive. Ann is emotionally detached from her anonymous corporate job, from her judgmental parents, and from her uninterested dom. At work, she receives an award for one year of service despite having been there for more than three years, and her manager has her working on a project that would make her own job obsolete.
She begins seeing Thomas, a younger man who composes scores for children’s films, though that relationship quickly peters out when he gets back together with his ex. Her sister crashes at her place as her marriage is on the rocks due to her husband’s infidelity. At work, Ann’s manager gets laid off, while she is given new responsibilities and a new title, despite not wanting them.
She meets Elliot, a dom who seems to be much more invested in roleplay than her previous partners. He dresses her in a “fuckpig” costume and is generally much more demeaning and controlling. Initially, this appeals to Ann, but he doesn’t like that she requires aftercare after their sessions, and she gets bored of his attempts at public humiliation. Her sister begins to get more involved with her life, often frustrating Ann, and her boss, Karl, starts micromanaging her.
She asks her sister to move out after she realizes that Ann is in a relationship, something Ann has never confided to anyone in her family. She starts seeing Allen again, though he claims he didn’t realize it was her as she changed her username on the site they met on. She withdraws when she learns that he is a Zionist, though she is apologetic about it soon after. Ann takes a break from all her relationships to go on a vacation with her parents, who are highly critical of her. Her dad tries to play the guitar and sing while she’s trying to read, and her mother gets snippy anytime Ann talks back.
Ann’s friends help her make a dating profile on a non-fetish site. She goes on a series of dates, though none of them turn into anything until she meets Chris, with whom she bonds over a shared love of A League of Their Own. The two begin seeing each other, though Ann is uncertain if they are casual or serious. The two continue to bond, though Ann has trouble communicating with him as she is used to having men tell her what to do rather than take her feelings into account.
She begins spending more time with her parents and taking on more responsibilities at work. When a coworker Ann spends a lot of time with gets another job, Ann frames some photographs he took and leaves them for him as a going-away present. Her relationship with Chris begins to get more serious, and she tries to get him into BDSM. He initially seems uncomfortable with the idea, but the two begin to try and incorporate domination and submission into their relationship.
However, she falls into old habits, getting back together with Allen, despite the fact that he continues to show little interest in her life. The film ends without revealing whether she was cheating on Chris, whether they broke up, or whether she was seeing an old dom with his consent.
Cast
Scott Cohen as Allen
Babak Tafti as Chris
Joanna Arnow as Ann
Michael Cyril Creighton as Karl
Alysia Reiner as Sister
Keith Poulson as Simon
Peter Vack as Thomas
Parish Bradley as Elliot
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight section on May 19, 2023. Shortly after, Magnolia Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It also screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023, 2023 New York Film Festival on October 5, 2023, and AFI Fest on October 27, 2023. It was released in the United States on April 26, 2024.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 48 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website’s consensus reads: “Joanna Arnow finds bleak humor in the struggle to connect with The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed, a deadpan comedy that discomfits as confidently as it amuses.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating “generally favorable” reviews.
References
External links
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed at IMDb
