"Lonely Planet," directed by Susannah Grant, was recently released on Netflix and is trending. This film features Liam Hemsworth as Owen Brophy, Laura Dern as Katherine Lowe, and Diana Silvers as Lily Kemp. It is an adventure of love and discovering the truth behind loneliness. The film is rated R due to strong language and explicit content.
This film is about novelist Katherine, who travels to Morocco to escape her writer’s block in order to finish her book. During her trip to a writer's retreat, she meets Owen. He is on the retreat with his girlfriend, Lily, who is also a writer. Katherine is a loner when it comes to writing as she is determined to finish her book while the others are partying. Owen becomes lonely on this trip due to how disconnected he is from the writers since he has a job in private equity. While discovering the roads to Morocco, he runs into Katherine multiple times. They develop a close connection, which leads to a love affair.
Highs
Hemsworth's acting is one of the highlights of this film. His character shows how much he supports his girlfriend, Lily, while she criticizes him. This is Hemsworth’s first romance film in a while; he did an excellent job portraying a struggling boyfriend.
The bond between Katherine and Owen is another high because their connection is fantastic. Katherine is more of a loner towards the other writers, but she opens up to Owen during this trip. They understand each other’s struggles, although their careers are pretty opposite.
The romance in this film differs from others, considering the woman is older than the man. Katherine is in her 50s while Owen is in his 30s; this shows that love has no limits. The theme in this film is another high; it shows that traveling can help people learn more about themselves and the world around them.
The setting of Morocco is another highlight because of how beautiful the writers' retreat is. The hotel is full of old architecture and it shows the culture of the Moroccan people well. It also has people speaking Moroccan Arabic, which emphasizes the culture there.
Dern’s acting as a struggling writer is another high, considering how well she shows how much writing means to her. Her character portrays humor only in front of a couple of people, showing how closed off she is to people. The chemistry and slow burn between Katherine and Owen are another high. They keep the audience watching, waiting for the moment they kiss.
Lows
There were minimal lows in this film. The main low is Lily Kemp, Owen’s girlfriend; she degrades Owen. During specific scenes, she makes passive-aggressive comments towards him. Just because he does not know particular books, she degrades his knowledge in front of everyone. This shows how careless she is; he came on the trip to support her and she doesn’t appreciate him.
Another low is how all the writers are portrayed as mean and witty. They are judgemental towards people who are not writers, especially Owen. They see him as an absent boyfriend who has no other life besides being obsessed with work. Towards the film's middle, the fight between Owen and Lily is another low. She continues to see herself above him and he is jealous of her because she is becoming successful. This shows that her character is self-absorbed.
Verdict
"Lonely Planet" is worth watching for those who enjoy novelist romance. Those who love Liam Hemsworth will enjoy the shirtless scenes of him.
Rating: 7 out 10.
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
