Rating: NR | Runtime: 87 minutes
Release Date: April 26th, 2024 (USA)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Director(s): Joanna Arnow
Writer(s): Joanna Arnow

It’s like a thing for lonely people.

There’s a level of committing to the bit on display throughout Joanna Arnow’s The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed that’s nothing short of impressive … even if you don’t think said bit is quite as effective as others. Ann (Arnow) couldn’t be more dead-pan monotone if she tried. When someone gives her a compliment about her demeanor, she tells them that it’s probably just because she’s merely mirroring their own. So, like with her BDSM exploits, Ann is a submissive to life itself.

Not that she doesn’t have influence. She’ll choose when to hold back on texting Chris (Babak Tafti). She’ll change her screenname to “trick” Allen (Scott Cohen) into another night of domination despite having tried other masters in the interim. But it’s all still about what she thinks they want as much as what she wants since her main desire is for them to tell her what to do to make them happy. And why not? After spending tedious hours at work and at home with her parents being told what to do, shouldn’t she get some satisfaction out of the act of complying?

Arnow structures the film as short vignettes stacked up. Some are a few seconds (quick shots at work or skit-like interactions with friends). Some last minutes (sex sessions with Allen). And others feel like lengthy montages (the chapter with Chris and the evolution of their relationship). There’s an idiosyncratic rhythm as a result that augments both the dry humor and threat of tedium. I do think Arnow does a good job keeping things fun, though. She goes right to the line with her repetition and ennui only to pull back last second—even having Ann follow suit by declaring her own boredom when Allen asks why she’s leaving early.

The gag didn’t wear out its welcome for me, but the pacing and comedy are an acquired taste. Its cross between British dryness and Jody Hill-esque second-hand embarrassment provocation works because Arnow is committed to the role and subject matter while also crafting the script around the long title. This is a woman who has grown comfortable with being “stuck.” After watching the world change around her while remaining the same, Ann tries experiencing what everyone else does only to realize the moment to adopt that sense of conformity is long gone. Her life may seem lonely to outsiders, but it truly is everything she wants it to be.

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Joanna Arnow and Scott Cohen in THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED; courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.