‘Or Something’ Review – The Art Of The Perfect Small Film

As the opening scenes of Jeffrey Scotti Schroeder’s feature debut unfold, I immediately notice Kareem Rahma’s voice—soothing, deep, and full of charm. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of SubwayTakes before the Austin Butler episode, but afterward, I dove into a rabbit hole, discovering every single one of their videos. Rahma handles all kinds of people, craziness, and personalities with such ease and grace. It quickly became clear to me that Rahma should pursue acting. I had to see how he would perform in front of a camera. Or Something is a breath of fresh air amid all the awards hype, summer blockbusters, and big-star-led mediocre movies with clunky narratives. From a script by Rahma and Mary Neely (where they also play the leads), this slice-of-life small film is about random lives contained in big cities.

It’s a simple strangers on a train story, two people from different backgrounds unite for the same aim. As their journeys unfold, they discuss serious topics and discover the similarities between them, dodging differences as the narrative progresses. The reward in the film is not in the ending or the outcome of this reluctant journey, but how humanity unfolds in the simplest of spaces: diners, subways, and public parks.

This is a cute movie that isn’t trying to be pretentious. It has two flawed characters at the center, Olivia and Amir, who are by no means perfect, but they bring to the tale more than meets the eye, enriching it with their rawness and their unfiltered honesty. There are times when one feels disdain toward one or the other, but that’s exactly the point. Rahma and Neely draw inspiration from themselves and the people they’ve met in real life. The enjoyable thing about these kinds of movies is how one discovers that we are less likable than we like to admit if we make a movie about ourselves. 

The more people complain about their dislike for characters, I wonder what their movies inspired by themselves would turn out to be? If anything, small indie flicks like the one we are stripping bare in this review are meant for a niche audience, people looking for ways to discover more about themselves and the world. Getting universal acclaim and “Film Twitter” approval has become a toothache-like goal that I hope every new filmmaker escapes the pitfall of as fast as they can. Schroeder’s film thankfully does; it roots itself in its normalcy and simplicity. The conversations are deep but unpretentious, albeit lacking creativity, but it honestly feels like what normal strangers on a Sunday would do together, rather than the magic of Before Sunrise or Before Sunset, for example, where words that come out of Celine and Jesse’s mouths are pure magic.

It’s not that Or Something is the smartest film you’ll ever watch. It’s not a movie strictly for intellectuals. But discouraging films that are dialogue-heavy and conversation-centric has become a nasty recent habit of modern filmgoing experiences. We often complain about the lack of originality in movie-making, and here’s a 100% original film at hand, begging to be seen by a larger audience that would benefit from authenticity and truth. It is a great addition to the evergreen list of yearners’ and dreamers’ movies, ones that casually find their way to the filmverse with storylines about lonely people, mismatched couples, and the difficulty of hooking up in a constantly alienating world. 

I am in love with Or Something, a film for the moment that, no matter where one is or how they are feeling, will take them on an emotional, rugged journey where we can all hopefully come out more empathetic and alive.

Or Something is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Factory 25.