“Tumbledown” is the first feature film of Sean Mewshaw, who shares a story-by credit with writer Desi Van Til, also making her screenwriting debut with the film. But you’d never guess this was a first feature based on the confident and assured filmmaking; it’s a story layered with emotional richness. There’s a relaxed and comfortable sensibility to “Tumbledown,” which eases the conversations of death, grief and legacy that it undertakes.
Rebecca Hall stars as Hannah, the feisty widow of cult folk singer-songwriter Hunter Miles. She has carved out a life for herself in their rural Maine home — her hometown — writing for the local paper and hammering away at a book about her husband. This is all disrupted when Andrew (Jason Sudeikis), a New York professor of pop culture with designs on a book of his own about Hunter, comes around. Hannah, defensive, naturally lashes out.
As she realizes that she can’t hack the book on her own, she swallows her pride to ask Andrew for help. He arrives in Maine for a week of research and writing, learning about Hunter’s life and family, as Hannah confronts aspects of her own grief, several years on in the process. At this point, you, and everyone in Hannah’s small town, would naturally assume, as per the genre, that there would be romantic sparks between Hannah and Andrew. That’s neutralized by Andrew’s relationship with music A&R gal Finley (Dianna Agron).Hannah and Andrew share a friendship based on mutual respect and growing affection, despite the rocky start. It’s refreshing to see a platonic relationship like this on-screen because it’s so rare.
Unfortunately, the film stumbles with the treatment of its central relationship, particularly in the last 15 minutes, where it falls prey to romantic dramedy expectations and shovels in a hasty, hackneyed and unearned ending. Though it’s telegraphed throughout, you hold out hope that the film might defy what you anticipate, just because it would be different and interesting.
