The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed is an hour and twenty-seven minutes of painfully awkward, dull conversations between family, friends and lovers. This is definitely a movie that isn’t meant for everyone, but you’ll find some good laughs throughout. Though there were moments that felt real, the ending completely undoes any character growth, leaving viewers feeling more uncomfortable than empathetic.
The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed first premiered at Cannes and had a feature at TIFF 2023. The concept for the film felt somewhat risqué and unique, and I was excited to take it on. As my first film for TIFF 2023, seeing it in the early afternoon, I was not quite prepared for the commitment I had made.
The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed begins with full-frontal nudity and all the power to Joanna Arnow. Her character, Ann, spends a considerable chunk of the film completely nude, leaving very little to the imagination. Arnow also wrote and directed the film, so, at minimum, she wasn’t requiring another actor to do something she would not. Strangely enough, these weren’t even the most uncomfortable scenes in the film.
The film follows Ann, a 34-year-old woman living the single, albeit dating, life. Here, she explores BDSM relationships, casual sex, and dating while balancing a mundane work life and an extremely dull family life. Part of the charm is supposed to be how incredibly simplistic her character is, but after undoing any growth her character made, I was left wanting more.
I will start off by saying that if you don’t like extremely dry, uncomfortable humour, The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed is absolutely not the film for you. I found small touches of Garden State across The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed, but in a way that made me think more high school play than film festival quality.
I’m all for sex-positive and even all for quirky, but some moments were awkward and almost annoying to watch. The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed painted BDSM in a selfish, almost abusive light. This could have been funny if it ever showed a positive side, but Ann would go back time after time, and the progress was never made.
This dynamic can be extremely misunderstood, but what happens in the bedroom remains between a couple. Yes, these men did not portray BDSM in a healthy light, but to see an entire theatre laughing at something some take very seriously seemed problematic to me. We weren’t looking at these men like they were abusing their power. We weren’t looking at Ann like she felt empowered. We felt sorry for her, and the theatre laughed. I’m not sure if that is the right message to send when exploring relationships and kink.
“I found small touches of Garden State across The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed, but in a way that made me think more high school play than film festival quality.”
From Arnow’s perspective, I could see how Ann’s relationship dynamic changed between various partners. I could see how she may find the character and the story empowering. However, I could tell that the audience saw it as nothing but a joke, not even a cry for help, insecurity or a need to please. The message felt very lost, especially as the credits rolled.
I felt like The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed was trying to display how the wrong people and the right people can look in a relationship and how these relationships can affect the day-to-day. In the end, it felt like an extremely shallow take on this dynamic.
As Ann grew through relationships, even willing to date and commit, we could see her character become more human. What was interesting was how Ann’s dialogue, which felt like she was reading lines, would change as she began developing real emotions with Chris throughout the film. It was here she felt the most human—the most natural.
Before, with Allen or any number of men, it quite literally felt like she was moving through a script, even with family. With Chris, she was free to be herself, improvise and not just say what she was supposed to. She began putting herself out there, exploring her wants and needs, and even communicating them at times. With the ending we saw, this was all completely undone, erasing any ounce of character development.
I can’t speak to Joanna Arnow’s thoughts while writing, directing, or acting. I can speak to the laughter from the audience. Some warranted, some uncomfortable. I can speak to an interesting story and was curious to see the outcome. However, the final act felt like it was moving toward real growth, but really, The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed reverted to shock tactics and discomfort to make the audience feel something deeper than what they were truly seeing.
