There's a lot of emphasis on romantic relationships in society, often to the detriment of platonic relationships and other forms of love. Friendships are more or less overlooked, though it's these kinds of relationships that can be the strongest. They provide unshakable support, thoughtful candor, and strength whenever is needed. In Language Lessons — Natalie Morales' feature directorial debut from a script co-written by her and Mark Duplass — an unexpected friendship is at the core of the story. Poignant, funny, and emotionally resonant, Language Lessons organically develops a heartfelt friendship while its cast exudes warmth and charisma.
Adam (Duplass) is surprised when his husband Will buys him online Spanish lessons. He’s rich, privileged, and conversationally fluent in the language, so his first lesson with Cariño (Morales) isn’t exactly how one would expect it to go. The two chat while Adam does his morning routine in the pool and it’s clear Cariño is slightly put off by this new student, who is unlike any of her others. The two continue their lessons, but their relationship changes following a personal tragedy. Over the course of several video messages and live lessons, the pair become unexpectedly attached to each other as they form a deep and surprising bond.
On the surface, the film’s premise sounds like a misfire because it involves a teacher and a student, though it manages to avoid all of the uncomfortable and inappropriate tropes in this particular situation. Two people engaging with each other over video calls and messages for the entirety of the movie doesn’t seem very interesting. However, the long-distance format is actually because the pair live in different locations — Adam in Los Angeles and Cariño in Costa Rica — and not because of pandemic-related social distancing measures. To be sure, their friendship begins rather awkwardly, though it’s realistic and indicative of the strange way in which they meet.
Morales is able to perfectly establish their initially graceless, professional relationship before things quickly take a somber turn, allowing their conversational acquaintanceship to develop in a deeply authentic way. Nothing between Adam and Cariño is contrived and the connection they create evolves slowly over time, with each of them opening up to various degrees. Their conversations are steeped with personal touches, a shared sense of loss, long silences, and levity. It’s through their exchanges the audience gets to know them both as they get to know each other, breaking the boundaries of what a meaningful relationship can look like regardless of location. Morales' direction is effortless, uniquely using the video format to imbue sentimentality and to showcase the intimate setting.
Morales portrays Cariño with nuance and reservation; she’s much more guarded than Adam, who is more willing to share his feelings and details about his life. While she slowly lets down her walls, there’s a hesitation to get too close to someone and break the professional rules of such a unique relationship and Morales showcases Cariño’s internal and outward struggle very well. Likewise, Duplass brings a lot of emotional weight to Adam who, with a less talented actor, could have been far too over-the-top. Duplass strikes a balance that makes Adam instantly likeable despite how obviously different he and Cariño are. Together, Duplass and Morales are charming, bringing depth to their characters through a video format that is sometimes hard to achieve because of its limitations.
Language Lessons is incredibly beautiful and moving, touching an emotional nerve that will sit with the audience in a multitude of ways. Adam and Cariño’s exchanges are heartwarming, thoughtful, and deepen their friendship even before they realize they’ve grown past the surface-level student-teacher relationship. It’s also quite inspiring to see two people form a connection despite the pain and heaviness of grief and long distance. If anything, these things actually work to bring them closer together and the love springs from the acknowledgement that they have come to need and rely on each other for support. Ultimately, Language Lessons is easily one of the best, and most surprising, films to be released this year.
Language Lessons made its North American debut during the SXSW Film Festival on March 17, 2021. The film is 91 minutes long and is not yet rated.