Beloved (2022) [Film Review]

Beloved; or, Stay With Me
     I have an idea. How about we spend one last day together? Go somewhere, walk around, have dinner…
Director Bishrel Mashbat is no stranger to this blog as I have already reviewed his feature-length debut In the Land of Lost Angels (2018). I was pleasantly surprised when Bishrel Mashbat reached out to me recently with information that he made a new movie called Beloved. Needless to say, I checked it out and was not disappointed.

Release Info

Directed by: Bishrel Mashbat Starring: Iveel Mashbat, Jana Miley, Charletta Rozzell

Language: English, Mongolian Runtime: 92 min

Synopsis
Anar (Iveel Mashbat) and Kassy (Jana Miley) constitute an inter-racial couple living in the United States. They have been married for five years, but things are not going well. In fact, their marriage gradually falls apart and they two behave towards each other more like roommates than husband and wife. Both of them consider divorce, but are they truly willing to give up on their relationship?

Memories of You
First of all, I have to say that Beloved seems to be a conventional story that has been done numerous times before, but the theme of marriage examination is not as important as that of nostalgia and introspective feelings of the main characters.

It is difficult for me to describe it, but the usage of music by Louis Armstrong, Camile Saint-Saëns, Eric Satie, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin, coupled with top-notch production design done by Nimi Lkhagva evokes this distinct feeling of coziness and warmth that can be found in pictures of such auteur filmmakers as Wong Kar-wai or Hirokazu Koreeda.

In other words, I felt as if I wanted to step into the 4:3 frame and experience the setting surrounding the characters on my own. Consequently, it goes without saying that Bishrel Mashbat is an artist who puts extreme emphasis on visuals rather than dialogue. Therefore, Beloved pulls you in with its ontological aspects (characters functioning in spaces and stuck in the past) rather than with expository means (standard breakaway of marriage).

With regard to performances, of course, I immediately spotted Iveel Mashbat whom I have already seen in In the Land of Lost Angels. In my opinion, he gives a more compelling performance in Beloved due to the general subject matter of the film. Obviously, Jana Miley cannot go unnoticed as well. She did a great job playing an emotionally-torn wife. My praise also goes to Charletta Rozzell who played a supporting but extremely vivid part.

Recommendations
If you are in need of a peaceful, yet thoughtful film, then I recommend Beloved. It officially premiered at the Seattle Asian Film Festival and is currently making rounds at other festivals. I sincerely hope that, similarly to In the Land of Lost Angels, Bishrel Mashabat’s latest film will also make its way to Amazon Prime and/or other streaming service.
Overall score: 7/10

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