‘What Comes Around’ Review – Middling Modern Thriller Explores Dating And Age Gaps In The Online Era

Director Amy Redford’s What Comes Around, known as Roost when it premiered at the 2022 installment of the Toronto International Film Festival, features quite the cast of famous family members. The film features performances from Summer Phoenix (younger sister to Joaquin and River), Grace Van Dien (daughter of Casper Van Dien and great granddaughter of Robert Mitchum), and Indiana Affleck (son of Summer Phoenix and Casey Affleck). Redford herself is the daughter of the great Robert Redford himself. Despite the star potential from these families, What Comes Around winds up as a middling thriller that leaves much to be desired.

The film follows Anna, a teenager on the cusp of her 17th birthday, as she begins a relationship with a late-twenties man, Eric, she met online. As Anna and Eric’s relationship grows, this causes a rift between Anna and Beth, her mom who just recently got engaged to a police officer. The story heats up as more secrets are revealed and nothing is what it seems. Perhaps the most effective part of the narrative is how directly it addresses the issue of the age gap and meeting strangers on the internet. No matter how sweet the setting or score makes the situation seem, it is incredibly unsettling throughout. As the story progresses, more twists and turns are revealed and hints at the thought that this relationship may have started due to more than mere happenstance. 

Adapted from his play The Thing With Feathers, Scott Organ’s script produces vanilla characters with little personality. Attempts to surprise the audience are left flat by an incredibly predictable, run-of-the-mill thriller plot that shows its cards too early. The pacing at the beginning of the film also makes it hard to really invest in, and the lightning pace of the second and third acts is jarring in contrast with that initial slow burn. However, once it gets going the film is incredibly intriguing solely based on the subject matter. Focusing the film on such a controversial relationship keeps the viewer engaged waiting to see if this will blow up in Anna’s face or not. While some of the turns are anticipated, the ultimate fate of Anna and Eric is truly up in the air until the final moments.

The filmmaking for What Comes Around provides no new or unique techniques and attempts to tell the story from the source material as plainly as possible. There is no dazzling set design, camera work, or score to speak of. This is not completely to the detriment of the film, as it puts the majority of the weight on the actors’ performances which are successful at varying parts. With such a small cast, each character gets at least one chance to steal the spotlight, with some taking more advantage of the opportunity than others.

A noticeably glaring issue with the film is the lighting. It appears that it is trying to really lean into the natural lighting as it comes, but this leaves a lot of shots that are poorly lit for no readily apparent artistic reason. There are several scenes that take place outside in broad daylight where shadows are masking each characters’ face despite it being necessary for the audience to read the emotions and expressions the performers are evoking. The natural lighting works in some parts of the film, particularly in some shots of Anna’s room. It’s effective in these instances as it reflects a common theme among the younger generation that is rejecting overhead lighting en masse. As the style evinces this broad sentiment it also expresses the moodiness Anna is feeling as this relationship and the tension with her mom puts her through the wringer. 

What Comes Around as a whole does not ultimately succeed, with a script and story that doesn’t provide much for the actors to work with. Grace Van Dien is given the most opportunity to shine in this film, and she is definitely a young actress to watch out for in the coming years. Adapting plays into films often produces some wonky results, and this is no different. Despite its flaws, this film is still an intriguing exploration into age gaps in dating, the mysteries of meeting someone online, and the way people portray themselves through the shield of the internet. 

What Comes Around is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of IFC Films. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvsdHdVIIpA]