'His & Hers' Review

As you may know from my previous blog post, I was pretty excited by the success Irish Documentary 'His & Hers' has been receiving since its release. Last night I eventually got around to seeing it. 

'His & Hers' is a feature length documentary by Ken Wardrop consisting solely of women, from young to old. It features 70 women from the Irish Midlands and documents their relationships with men who are close to their hearts -be it their father, son, boyfriend or husband. 

I think the documentary's biggest triumph is making a story that is visually restrictive i.e. talking heads, look interesting. The arrangement of shots and meticulous framing undoubtedly achieves this. It is no wonder Sundance picked cinematographers Kate Mc Cullough and Michael Lavelle to receive the World Cinema award. My serious/lame love of symmetry was satisfied as much of the framing abides by this carefully planned out positioning. In addition to that, there is a regular pattern of somewhat voyeuristic 'out the window' (the very technical term) shots. These scenes capture the subtle sense of each woman's character going about their daily routine. The beautiful mix of imagery and stories told by the women made me care for them despite the fact that each woman only ever makes a brief appearance. 

'His & Hers' is consistently paced however it may be criticised for being 'a bit slow' but for me it was engaging throughout. Wardrop's talent shines through as every aspect of the filmmaking process is taken into consideration, not least it's editing. He skillfully assembles the footage with perfect comic timing. The filmmakers take a back seat in the documentary abstaining from narration and audible questioning. In this case it absolutely works. The women are left to ramble or sit in silence, this way we catch glimpses of their personality rather than a contrived version of themselves. 

The story is simple but addresses more than the women's relationships. It highlights the journey from youth to old age. From the thrill of finding out a boy fancies you to the grief of losing your soulmate. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me reflect on love and men. It was beautiful and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint me. Maybe it won't change your life and it's probably not for everyone but who can deny it's originality and the genial sentiment behind it. I'm delighted and so proud Ken Wardrop's work has been internationally recognised, it deserves to be.

8/10