Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN [Fantasia Film Festival 2023 - Montreal, Canada - Remote]

The context of hope and sweetness has to be balanced in the end with an element of hurt and emotionality. Many films simply push for the darkness but others simply show that it is a result of trauma. "With Love And A Major Organ" approaches the idea in a fable-like way based in hope and a sense of longing. Anabel (Anna Maguire) wants so much to fall in love or be connected and yet she always misses that opportunity despite her best efforts. What the movie does interestingly is talk to the idea of genetics and what we might not be seeing in the context of our lives. People act certain ways not just because of their surroundings and how they were raised but because they are the combination of two people and their lineage in very specific ways. Anabel finds George (Hamza Haq) who himself has a problem reconciling his emotions and hurt. But this is a world in which therapy works in an almost visible but abstract way because mental strife takes on a physical form. It is not done through special effects but more perspectives of the mind contained in certain rooms or art.

While there is a slightly sensual nature to the proceedings, it can be described more as a biological response (and not in a mating sort of way). The heart is the organ that is at play but the way it is represented is not practical or real but metaphorical. This of course goes a long way when it is used as a metaphor to give or protect against someone else's love or rejection. The crux though is that the story shifts to George's sacrifice instead of Anabel's which might not be correct. She is willing to give everything for him and yet he doesn't mind the hurt where you can see the pain she (and his mom endure). This makes the resolution a little bit bittersweet while still allowing interpretation. Maguire's transformation simply in emotionality is stark but very effective especially in the reasoning of the character, which would not work in the real world. "With Love And A Major Organ" is an interesting mediation on love and the necessity of giving while both losing and gaining something in the process. B

By Tim Wassberg