Stay (2013)

So many phrases out of characters' mouths are as overused and flavorless as a thrice-steeped tea bag, and yet a sturdy narrative structure, increasing thematic complexity and finely detailed performances from Aidan Quinn and Taylor Schilling make writer-director Wiebke von Carolsfeld's sophomore effort an agreeably pensive experience.

A spring-autumn romance that comes with side helpings of local colour and melodramatic backstory.

The film's quiet demeanor, exacerbated by wide shots of lonely, sprawling bogs, sometimes comes off as dull rather than reflective. Still, it does capture the maddening silence of waiting for an absent lover to make contact.

Despite the affecting performances by the two leads, this overly muted drama fails to make much of an impact.

Fatally, for a film about damaged people methodically working through their problems—with themselves and each other—it gets less interesting the more it reveals about its characters.