Guy Pigden’s Older Movie Review: A Hearty True To Life Drama

Director and lead of this hearty true to life comedy-drama feature we bring you Guy Pigden’s Older movie review.

I have a confession to make.

Relationship and coming of age movies are usually not my forte’.

I feel as though growing up always has this stigma attached to it that as the years pass by the stigma gets heavier and heavier as society expects certain standards or levels of success or achievements that you should hit at each step of your journey.

Having kids, getting married etc etc etc.

Not one to bend over to society’s whim I’ve always been someone who has done my own thing regardless of opinion and as a result, many of these growing up feature films never truly represent the real world that we live in.

Older is one of those rare breeds of feature films however that just gets it.

The movie revolves around Alex (Guy Pigden) a failed filmmaker approaching thirty who has moved back in with his parents and re-adopted his teenage lifestyle.

While attending a wedding, he reconnects with Jenny, an old high school friend who can both appreciate and relate to Alex’s reluctance to grow up.

But Alex is also trying to court Stephanie (Astra McLaren), someone he has had on and off again dalliances with for over a decade.

As Alex and Jenny become closer, he is forced to reassess his relationship with both women and question whether or not it’s finally time for him to accept the responsibilities of adulthood… or keep running from them.

From start to finish this film had me hooked with some genuine laugh out loud moments including some seriously raunchy sex scenes that certainly wouldn’t look out of place within an American Pie movie.

Torn between two beautifully striking ladies in Stephanie (Astra McLaren) and Jenny (Liesha Ward Knox) it would be a young man’s dream to have such a choice but Older opts to dig beneath the surface as we explore the deeper meaning of not only their relationships past and present but what the future holds within the dynamic also.

Stephanie represents Alex’s youth, partying hard, drink and drugs, no worries, no cares, no problems.

Jenny represents the stages of growing up, she’s more mature, settled in her ways and is grounded.

A character that scares Alex as she stands to represent a committed lifestyle that he’s afraid of.

With comedy taking centre stage sporadically throughout this movie Guy and the team have perfectly balanced the serious tones as they are weaved intrinsically within the comedic fibres.

Older takes life, love and even death as Alex tries to find a place in the world that makes sense to him.

That real life experience of being torn between your dreams and your heart.

The need to be free and explore your dreams but also that contradiction of wanting someone there with you to experience them with you.

It’s a decision we’ve all had to make at some point in our lives and the film perfectly address’s the dilemma’s that we all face at certain hurdles that we come up against at stages within our own lives.

Growing up as your friends around you get married and have children there’s a sense of loss and loneliness that is subtly stretched across the duration of the film.

Alex is a lost soul who is hanging onto the past in terms of how he lives and who he connects with until we reconnects with childhood friend Jenny.

Still keeping an attachment to his past with his friendship to Jenny their relationship blossoms and what started as a friendly fling quickly grows into something more mature and special.

By the time Older concludes Alex’s story still doesn’t feel quite wrapped up, a situation he is now living in doesn’t tie up his story as well as I’d like but at the same time it’s very true to life.

As the credits roll Alex has now grown up in some aspects of his life but he’s not perfect, none of us are, he still doesn’t have it all figured out.

There’s still a long way to go but he now has a better understanding of what he needs to do and how he needs to get there.

I was gripped from beginning to end and I absolutely love how one minute I’m laughing and the next the more serious cards that life deals us were handled so delicately and the tone change from happy to emotional was done so beautifully as the transition flowed wonderfully.

From happy tears to sad tears Older takes you through a journey of not only Alex’s but a self reflection of your own.

Clearly written by someone who has experienced a broad range of obstacles in their life and a film that wonderfully channels these obstacles with a delicate balance and a professional ease.

Guy Pigden’s Older also benefits from superb cinematography that almost feels like a character in its own right.

Looking through the lens of this story, documenting this progression of life and serving as a bystander or guardian angel in watching Alex’s story unfold.

I throughly enjoyed this one.

Wonderfully acted, acutely directed.

A hearty film that I only wish was longer!

Guy Pigden’s Older review by Sean Evans