The audacity of Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli, a filmmaking couple on the rise, is not to be underestimated. Their devastating debut, Violation, is a tough act to follow in terms of swinging for the fences. But Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli are up to the challenge with their science-freaky psychological thriller, Honey Bunch. It’s a peculiar blend of lovesick romanticism and mad ideas, not without endearing complexity. As Valentine’s Day programming for genre fans, this is the year’s hot ticket.
Real-life couple Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie star as Diana and Homer, a married couple under duress. Diana wakes from a coma with memory loss, so Homer transports her to a remote experimental trauma center. They’re welcomed by Farah (Kate Dickie), who sings the program’s praises. As long as Diana takes her pills, stays positive, and follows instructions, Farah promises positive results. However, when Homer starts disappearing at night and behaving strangely, Diana believes there’s more to the facility than cutting-edge cures.
Glowicki and Petrie are no strangers to sharing the screen, who you can catch in Glowicki’s upcoming March release, Dead Lover. They’re beyond comfortable together; two actors in unprecedented harmony. As Alison Brie and Dave Franco elevate Together as partners on and off camera, Glowicki and Petrie pull relationship vulnerabilities from a true and fragile place. Their words never ring hollow; they don’t have to fabricate chemistry—it’s already there. Through the saccharine highs and the unthinkable lows, the duo remains in step, gliding through scenes like they’re floating on air.
Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli abandon the grittiness of Violation for something torn from a bygone era. There’s a softness to the lighting that feels reminiscent of made-for-British-TV specials, and a slight grain to the cinematography that transports us back to 70s or 80s era science fiction. Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli embrace weirdness and quirk, never bothering to ground what transpires. From an early scene that paints a morbid picture to the way Honey Bunch subverts itself again and again, there’s an enjoyable sense of misdirection at play. A little narrative malleability goes a long way.
There’s a fearlessness to the way both couples approach a story about adoration, loss, and testing the boundaries of “till death do us part.” Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli boldly question the marital ethics of everlasting romance, while Glowicki and Petrie dig deep to examine the pros and cons of endless devotion. Jason Isaacs passionately adds a father’s take on love to the mix as overly positive Joseph, there to encourage his patient daughter, Josephina (India Brown). But the meat of Honey Bunch favors the glorious mess that is wedded bliss, and that’s where the film thrives—always odd, sometimes joyful, and other times heartbreaking stuff.
As a ding, the film doesn’t earn its nearly two-hour duration. The melodrama and haziness of well-intentioned gaslighting can drag on, lingering on the duplication of emotions that play on a bit longer than needed. Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli do well to build their fever-dream of a universe, scored by shrill woodwinds and presented like this dark fairy tale, but the glimmer dulls by the end. There’s still plenty to appreciate, but the experience pushes a tad past its shelf life.
Honey Bunch is defined by its idiosyncrasies; a genre hybrid that exists in its own sandbox. Glowicki and Petrie share an unbridled intimacy through wonderful performances, exploiting the blinding effects of love. The family affair(s) of it all are more than a catchy interview quote, as Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli air out difficult themes with a hearty level of trust. It’s a soulful, slow-burning, and achingly sincere love story that veers into an appreciated level of derangement. For some couples, it’ll be a tender catharsis—and for others, a revealing nightmare.
Movie Score: 3/5