Fourteen

Witnessing a friend’s life unravel is no easy matter, but through writer/director/editor Dan Sallitt’s no-frills approach, such travails are rewarding and somewhat of a pleasure.

His Fourteen poignantly chronicles the adult relationship of two childhood friends — relatively stable Mara (Tallie Medel) and volatile Jo (Norma Kuhling) — as Jo unintentionally tests Mara’s loyalty and patience with repeating cycles of self-destructive behavior.

It’s heavy subject matter, for sure, but Sallitt doesn't linger too long on any one scene, moving to the next important vignette, which varies from days, months, and even years apart, nicely forcing the viewer to play catch-up as new details are introduced.

Each of these moments reveals or conveys something crucial about the pair’s dynamic — which is instantly believable thanks to Medel’s and Kuhling’s effortless chemistry — and the dry, Whit Stillman-like dialogue adds a welcome layer of levity to the frequently dark material.

The result is a film in which nothing is frivolous and the cumulative impact of its scenes is likely to linger long after the credits roll.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated, but with adult content and language. Now available to rent via the Fine Arts Theatre

(Photo: Grasshopper Film)