Cat Person

AroView: An extended film adaptation of a 2017 ‘New Yorker’ short story that went viral on account of its wildly relatable tale of a young millennial woman’s fraught dating experience in the digital age.

It initially plays like an indie rom-com as it deals with the familiar fumbles of people getting to know one another, then cooks up a darker turn for its third act which, though unhinged from the original story, keeps hold of a solid thematic integrity. Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun (Greg from “Succession”) keep it always watchable, as does Geraldine Viswanathan as her scene-stealing sidekick.

“It’s still worthwhile to consider the post-#MeToo ideas that Cat Person throws at the wall around notions like empathy, consent, and the vitality of crystal-clear communication and see what sticks. What you will end up with might look like a messy artifact, but one that will at least rattle in ways both witty and provocative.” ~Tomris Laffly, The Playlist

“A hair-raising third act adds an unusual coda — one that I, after only one viewing, am still processing. The relief, however, is in the filmmakers’ approach to these tense scenes: Fogel and Ashford loosen their grip, at last trusting us to sit in our discomfort, draw our own conclusions and sharpen our tools for the discourse.” ~Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter