Viola - Shakespeare goes..... somewhere?

Sometimes when you come out of a film not entirely sure what you've just been watching, it's refreshing, some times it's just annoying.  Viola falls somewhere between the two - partly because it feels like the film is missing a third act.  It's a film that engages and holds the attention whilst it is happening without quite cohering; funny and well-acted but missing a layer.

It starts with a performance of a scene from Twelfth Night, leading to a backstage discussion on the nature of relationships and attraction.  This then spills into an exploration of one of the actor's theories through a constant reacting and retelling of the scene by two of the actors at one of them's flat.  All very interesting and intriguing.  Except we suddenly cut half way into a conversation in a different flat with two different people.  One of them is called Viola and we follow her around Buenos Aires until she is also forced to examine the nature of her relationship in a conversation.  We see her also put theories to the test.  And then the film draws to a close.  We both do and don't have an answer to the questions posed but not in the most satisfying way.  

Much is unexplained but it feels opaque rather than intriguing.  There is definitely a thought-provoking film with a different take on relationships in there if only it could be expounded more. The acting is excellent, with a convincing rapport between the cast that makes you want to sit in on their conversation. However, the one-hour running time doesn't allow ideas to be fully explored or to really enter the characters' world.  The lightness and humour to the film makes it entertaining and interesting in the moment but it is not quite a film that adds up to the sum of its parts.