Uncertain Terms - an absorbing drama of uncertain feelings in a makeshift family

Uncertain Terms is a wonderfully depicted and intimate film that brings out some real human drama and humour from an unusual setting.  That setting is a home and part-time school for five pregnant teenagers, and is run by Carla, a woman who when a pregnant teenager herself some 30 or so years ago had found herself in a similar but much harsher institution.  Carla is played by director Nathan Silver’s own mother, and the idea for the film came from her own experiences.

It makes for the perfect setting for a delicately poised drama.  Five semi-isolated teenagers would in most cases lead to an atmosphere of simmering emotion just ready to bubble over;  five pregnant teenagers heightens that even further.  Into this mixture steps Carla’s 30-ish year old nephew Robbie, attractive and enigmatic, helping out his aunt and finding his own refuge from a disintegrating marriage.  The girls are drawn to him, he is wary in return and then intrigued, particularly by Nina, who is struggling with both the reality of imminent motherhood and a feckless teenage boyfriend who won’t step up and get a job.  A relationship between a 30 year old man and an 18 year old girl could be unfortunate territory – a cliché used far too often as well as the fact that Nina is in a very emotionally vulnerable situation – but the film just about avoids this through two means. Firstly, with Nina, the film doesn’t just substitute the attributes “young and pretty” for a character but gives her an actual personality and something to do other than wait for the central protagonist to fall for her.  She has her own issues to deal with, much wider than Robbie or boyfriend Chase, her own approach to the relationship, her own agency within it.  Secondly, Robbie’s choices, although those of the protagonist, are not presented as uniformly sympathetic. Instead, they demonstrate his emotional immaturity, particularly within relationships.  In fact he is scarcely more mature than Chase in some ways, just a little more in control of his temper.

This set up allows the film to contrast (or perhaps show there is not much difference here) between teenage relationships and supposedly more grown-up ones.  There are similar frustrations, anger, jealousy and disappointments – the one difference being alcohol in Robbie’s exchanges with his ex-wife. Robbie and Nina are well drawn characters, although they do retain some mystery both from each other and the audience.

Carla threatens to steal the show with her no-nonsense compassion that frequently overspills into interference but is always well-meant and sometimes brings comic relief.  She really has built a haven and new home and family for these girls, something emphasised by the beautiful cinematography.  The film looks exquisite – the outdoor scenes in particular are gorgeously lit – and however tense or dramatic things get, the sunbathed, luminous feel to the film really emphasises the house as a safe place, set apart from the rest of the world.

Although there are outbursts of emotion through the film, it is delicately and beautifully plotted, like a coil being wound up, sometimes slackening with an outburst but getting tighter and tighter and then completely snapping as the drama comes to a head.  Overall, this is a beautiful and absorbing piece of film making, drawing you into a unique and special world and squeezing the exact right amount of drama from it while illuminating some very real and honest characters and relationships.