5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Love in a Pond remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do, you’ll probably dig Love in a Pond. It’s not for the crowd that needs a car chase every ten minutes or a twist that turns the world upside down. If you want something loud, flashy, or polished to death, you’re gonna hate this. It’s quiet. Sometimes, it’s too quiet.
Mannie Davis and John Foster have this way of looking at each other that makes you forget you're watching a screen. It’s not grand acting. It’s just... there. Like they actually like being in the same frame together.
There is a scene near the middle where they’re just sitting by the water, and the audio gets this weird, hollow echo. It’s definitely a technical flub, but it made me feel like I was sitting right there on the grass with them. I kept waiting for them to say something profound about love or life, but they just talked about the birds. Thank god for that.
The pacing is a bit of a mess. Sometimes a scene ends before you’ve even had a chance to get comfortable, and other times it just hangs there, letting the silence get a little uncomfortable. It reminded me a bit of the aimless energy in The City Chap, but way less concerned with being clever.
There’s this moment toward the end where John Foster messes up a line, or maybe he’s just pausing for a beat too long, and he looks down at his boots. It feels so human. It’s the kind of thing an editor usually hacks out, but they left it in. It’s easily my favorite part of the whole film.
It’s not as gritty or intense as Mortal Clay, and it doesn't try to be. It just sits there, existing, being a little bit broken and a whole lot of sweet. I don’t know if I’d watch it again, but I’m glad I saw it. 🦆
