When she looks for a new base for the gallery, Billie Eilish’s “everything i wanted” plays over a montage of Lucy’s search. As she wallows over the opening breakup of the film, the dismal opening of “Odd Mistake” by Konradsen begins. The discography is made up of modern tracks and classic hits that help convey the various emotions Lucy experiences. The film explores sexual pleasure in a constructive way while keeping it oriented toward women.Īnother major strength of the film, besides its characters and story, is its soundtrack. These conversations do play out in a self-deprecating experience, as Lucy notes that her vibrator “will never break her heart” as she tries to get over an ex, but they help normalize a formerly taboo activity. However, “The Broken Hearts Gallery” changes this notion through casual conversations about masturbation and sex toys among women. These scenes also tend to overdramatize the activity for comedic effect, as in the classic 2005 Judd Apatow comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” While comedy has the opportunity to normalize these behaviors, these instances prove to only help men. Often, when masturbation is mentioned or referred to in romantic comedies, there is an emphasis on male self-gratification rather than female. The dynamic between Lucy, Nick and their friends helps ground the story and display the multiple forms that love can take.Īlong with exploring love and relationships, the film promotes sexual positivity through its nonchalant depiction of female masturbation. After all, they are going through their own problems within the film, such as Marcos’ (Arturo Castro) upcoming child and Nadine’s (Phillipa Soo) short-lived relationships. While these side characters seem to exist merely to provide comic relief, they feel more fleshed out than your typical side characters. The story is also greatly influenced by the comedic additions of Lucy and Nick’s friends. Their flirtatious banter strengthens this bond, culminating into a romantic conclusion for this love story. Both of them present a contrasting philosophy on breakups - Lucy clings on to the past, while Nick runs from it - but they share a similar desire to be loved. Their relationship provides a deeper understanding of emotional vulnerability, as Nick takes his time to open up to Lucy. While the characters can stand on their own, the chemistry between Viswanathan and Montgomery elevates their individual performances. Lucy and Nick have their own distinct personalities, as she is more expressive with her emotions and he prefers his bottled up. Strong romantic comedies usually have sympathizable main characters and Krinsky’s film is no exception. Nick (Dacre Montgomery) and Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) curl up on a couch in “The Broken Hearts Gallery.”/Courtesy of Linda Kallerus. As she displays breakup memorabilia, she finds new love and the ability to relinquish her mind from the past. Inspired by this addition, she begins her own art gallery by collecting saved mementos from people trying to move on from their past relationships. At the construction site for Nick’s hotel, Lucy hangs a tie from her past breakup and finds the next morning that someone pinned a map beside it. Reeling from a bad breakup, she meets Nick (Dacre Montgomery), a stereotypical tough guy who dreams of running his own hotel.

“The Broken Hearts Gallery” is Natalie Krinsky’s directorial debut, and follows gallery assistant Lucy Gulliver (Geraldine Viswanathan) on a difficult journey of letting go of her previous relationships.

“The Broken Hearts Gallery,” a progressive examination of finding love as a young adult, continues this evolution. From Alice Wu’s “The Half of It” (2020) to Michael Showalter’s “The Big Sick” (2017) and “The Lovebirds” (2020), the romantic comedy genre has received a much-needed overhaul. She cites 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” as primary examples, but the list can go on. Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at Arizona State University Katherine Morrissey argues that we are experiencing a rebirth in the romantic comedy genre resulting from the subversion of white, heteronormative stories.

Broken hearts gallery