On occasion, we all come across those sensationalistic articles that proclaim that loneliness is one of the leading causes of death amongst the global population. Obviously, this is all just a ploy to get further readership, since it is really the adverse health effects normally linked to loneliness that has the impact, rather than the feeling itself. However, this does not make the plight of a large portion of the population any less upsetting, since the idea of countless people spending their last days in complete social isolation is quite tragic, especially when it is unintentional and through no fault of their own. This is especially common amongst the senior community, with the loneliness that comes with growing older and seeing your loved ones and friends depart being a common trend that is showing very little signs of slowing down. This is the starting-point for Never Eat Alone, the fascinating but deeply melancholy experimental drama by independent Canadian film director Sofia Bohdanowicz, who tells the story of her own grandmother, Joan Benac (playing herself in one of the most heartbreaking performances in recent years) as she tries her best to reconnect with an old lover from her days as a mildly famous television performer over half a century ago, with the help of her technologically-savvy granddaughter, who offers her the guidance and resources to help find the man she has not seen for several decades. A film that may be quite compact in both style and length, but filled with deeper meaning, Never Eat Alone is a riveting, complex existential drama that feels like the beginning of a directorial career that may avoid the mainstream, but instead has focused on exploring a different side of humanity.

The best advice often given to young artists (especially writers and directors) is to construct stories around what one knows at first – it is always easier to convince the industry that you are extremely talented when you are working with something close to your heart. Bohdanowicz followed this advice, since her directorial debut is a fascinating account of her grandmother’s life – and whether what we see is true or a construction is never clear, but the presence of a woman so intent on looking back at her life, and reflected by a representative of the younger generation intent on capturing every subtle nuance of this meditation on life and ageing, is more than enough to warrant our attention. Never Eat Alone goes to some deeply melancholy places in its continued exploration of this character who is looking back at her life and trying to come to terms with whether or not she made the right choices throughout it. It’s a fascinating hybrid of fiction and reality, with Bohdanowicz using her camera as a tool to construct this quiet but resilient story of negotiating one’s identity while trying not to marinate in regrets, which can sometimes be difficult to overcome. It’s a story of a woman trying to come to terms with her past without feeling like she has to feel remorse for the life she has left, and it’s interesting to see how the director seamlessly weaves together the different emotions in a way that feels genuine and emotionally resonant, which is one of the most compelling aspects of the film as a whole.

Sentimentality does have much of a place in Never Eat Alone – this is a film that earns every bit of sadness the viewer feels, as well as the few sporadic moments of joy in which we see these characters momentarily forget their troubles and instead choose to luxuriate in the tender memories of the past. The interweaving of the past and present is done beautifully, with the footage from an old television show being seamlessly juxtaposed with the scenes shot specifically for this film. It’s a multimodal drama, the kind of subtle postmodern piece that takes fragments of different works and puts them together in a way that is even more complex, adding layers of intense, beautifully poetic storytelling to a film that maybe didn’t require it, but still earned every bit of our sympathy. It’s difficult to make a film that is as deeply melancholy as this without resorting to the same tired techniques of drawing out every heavy-handed emotion and hoping that the viewer will start to feel the same sensation of deep sadness that these characters experience, which is a hackneyed approach that Bohdanowicz entirely avoids, choosing instead to use the space to construct something authentic. Considering the film is composed of only a few actors, all of them either non-professional or amateur performers, it’s even more credit to the director, who uses her forthright compassion to weave together a story that feels earned and exciting, without needing to place even a single cliche anywhere in this film.

Simplicity is the primary propellant used by Never Eat Alone, which is a film that is easy to overlook. It runs at just over an hour, lacks any familiar actors and is made by someone who is only known amongst those interested in independent Canadian cinema, since she has remained firm in her conviction to explore smaller stories on a much more intimate level. There isn’t much to say about the film – there aren’t any twists or turns, and what we are promised is exactly what is delivered, which is why this is a firm constituent of a growing class of intimate, socially-conscious realist dramas that aim to provide a snapshot of everyday life, using very natural acting (if we can even call it acting at all – it often just feels like recorded conversations between the performers, which is one of how Bohdanowicz adds layers of authenticity) and a bare-boned storyline to explore a few resonant themes. It is simple and very quiet, and it doesn’t follow a traditional structure. This is what independent cinema should aspire to be – not necessarily as downbeat and unfurnished as this, but rather experimental and not afraid to subvert conventions in favour of doing something valuable. There are so many compelling insights embedded deep within this film, and we find many aspects that are provocative and meaningful. For this reason, Never Eat Alone is a tremendous work of melancholic art, curated by a director whose voice is clear and concise in establishing the major themes, and ultimately one of the several reasons independent cinema has never felt more exciting than it does at this present moment.