The process of growing up can be brutal, since it requires us to learn hard lessons, most of which come when we have to face situations where discomfort is inevitable. One experience that many of us go through is that of making friends – while some may be naturally genial and popular, the process of choosing people to be your companions, whether for a short span of time or for a lifetime, can be an ordeal. It seems like much of society is built around the idea of making friends in some form, since we have been conditioned to think that anyone who doesn’t follow this pattern is failing the unspoken social code. Needless to say, there have been some fascinating works built around this idea, which is the core premise of Roommates, a film written by Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan and directed by Chandler Levack, whose I Like Movies was a minor sensation and announced the arrival of a major new voice in independent cinema, based on the sincere compassion and desire to say something new. Working on a slightly larger scale, but not losing any of the charm that guided her debut, the director tells the story of Devon, a mild-mannered young woman who has just graduated from high school and is on her way to college. She has the grades needed to position herself as a true academic force, but she lacks something else: she doesn’t have any friends. She hopes to change this in college, and it seems almost a miracle that she encounters Celeste, who is more outgoing and confident, but who nonetheless seems to get along with the more reserved Devon, leading them to become roommates. However, it eventually becomes clear that their initial spark was entirely misunderstood when they begin to realise that they aren’t quite as compatible as they expected. An outrageously funny film that proves to be far more complex than it appears on the surface, Roommates is a film that sees the potential to do something different, and quietly works to redefine itself as a far more nuanced, layered reconfiguration of a premise that is nothing if not predictable, proving that there is always something new to be said, even when working with familiar subject matter.

Roommates has been marketed as a “friends-to-enemies” story, which is a very smart subversion of the common trope that usually finds the opposite being the focus. There are countless examples of films that propose to be about how two people start off having an adversarial relationship, but through sheer conviction manage to find common ground – it’s the entire foundation of the “odd couple” premise that has become one of the most reliable, and frankly predictable, styles of storytelling. In the case of this film, we see it from the other perspective – two people who may be very different, but manage to get along swimmingly from the start, only to have a rift form after it is revealed that they don’t quite have the same lifestyle, leading to a rapid descent into disdain for one another. In many ways, this is a more realistic portrayal of certain friendships, since I’d imagine every one of us can recall at some point in our lives finding someone with whom you fully expected to be friends, only to grow to dislike one another after some time, whether as a result of some falling out, or simply a case of over-estimating the initial chemistry. Roommates is very smart in how it subverts our expectations, and in the process delivers a version of a story that doesn’t take the easy route in any way. Part of the brilliance of this film is in how it refuses to take the bait in terms of the obvious plot developments – we’ll discuss its execution momentarily, but even from a conceptual perspective, the idea of two people having their friendship gradually and methodically eroded to the point where it falls apart entirely is a fascinating approach, especially when there aren’t any grand revelations. Narratively, it tells a familiar story, but in a way that is unexpectedly quite engaging, tackling its core themes with the kind of devil-may-care chaos that we very rarely see filtered through this particular brand of well-meaning coming-of-age comedy, which is a sign of both the screenplay’s willingness to tackle harsher subject matter, and the director’s approach to looking beyond the obvious conceptual cues.

At a glance, Roommates seems derivative and very simple, one of the many similarly themed films that combine common ideas in a way that is quite familiar. However, despite having only made a couple of films beforehand, Levack proves that she is not someone to be overlooked in terms of being able to take a simple concept and turn it into something much more interesting. This is a deeply cynical film, and its ongoing refusal to follow conventions, while still working within the realm of the recognisable, is fascinating. On the surface, we’re expecting an upbeat comedy with very low stakes and filled with awkward moments that are uncomfortable but not too unexpected. What we get in reality is a darkly comedic satire that tends to be quite bleak, since there are certain developments (particularly in the climactic moments) that absolutely no one could see coming, which will very likely take the audience by surprise. Whether this is a result of what was written, or the additions made by the director, are not always clear, but its ability to actually traverse the borders of bad taste in an outrageously funny way, while also showing a willingness to descend into some darker territory when required (without ever actually becoming bleak or losing its happy-go-lucky tone) is part of the appeal. There are also no real lessons learned, or at least not the kind we’d expect – those predicting that the two main characters will work through their problems and find that they are compatible after all are in for a surprise, since Roommates resists the low-hanging fruit, and dares to be borderline provocative in ways that no one could ever anticipate. This alone makes it worth our time, especially since it occupies a genre that is not always known for the most original, subversive approach. It can be quite uncomfortable at times, but this is all by design – how else do we find a way to tell this story without resorting to the same cliches? Roommates acknowledges the common conventions, and even weaves them into the narrative – but it’s how Levack leads us to expect something, only to pull the rug out from under us at the last second, that makes the film so intriguing.

It should be acknowledged that Roommates is a film financed by Adam Sandler’s production company, so it was obviously designed as a vehicle for his daughter, Sadie Sandler, who had previously worked with her father but had yet to actually be the central focus in the way that she is here. While many of us have grown incredulous of the idea of giving the children of influential figures these roles, we can’t ignore that it does work in many instances, such as in this film, where Sandler is positioned to play this shy, awkward girl coming into her own. It’s not some revelatory performance, but she’s solid enough and does what was required to bring the part to life on screen, playing into the inherent awkwardness of the character. She’s the more subdued foundation of the film, with the rest of the cast being the more chaotic, offbeat eccentrics that surround her – Chloe East plays a formidable villain, turning Celeste into one of the most wholeheartedly despicable characters of the decade (made even more captivating by the fact that there’s never any moment where she’s allowed to redeem herself or show that she’s been misunderstood – she’s purely evil, which is a delightful subversion in itself), while Aidan Langford takes a potentially one-dimensional character and steals every scene he is in, establishing himself as an exceptionally promising young talent, and the person with the most potential to grow into the industry, especially since East has already established herself as someone to watch. There’s a bevy of veterans and more well-known names, such as Nick Kroll and Natasha Lyonne as Sandler’s parents, Carol Kane as her grandmother (there’s rarely been better casting than Lyonne and Kane as mother and daughter), Sarah Sherman as the eccentric professor who acts as the narrator of the film, and a range of one-scene cameos that are delightfully surprising, adding even more to a film that is already making the most of quite a large cast. It’s not revolutionary work from anyone, but instead reliable, consistent and very funny, making Roommates a terrific mosaic of exceptionally captivating performances from absolutely everyone involved.

If there was ever a film that proved the importance of trusting the process and taking a gamble, it would be this one, since so much of the film is built around misleading the viewer into thinking we are watching a relatively one-dimensional, traditional coming-of-age comedy, when in reality it is a razor-sharp satire that ventures into places much deeper and more complex than we’d expect based on just the premise. While it may not immediately announce itself as some cultural sensation based purely on the fact that it was given quite a subdued release and wasn’t instantly promoted as some major work from an exciting auteur in the way that recent entries into the genre like Lady Bird and Booksmart were, this film has all the trimmings of a future cult classic – its sardonic, offbeat humour, deeply unhinged sense of chaos and continious efforts to define itself as something far more compelling than we would expect at the start, makes its something that will appeal to those with a penchant for the absurd. The glossy, humble appearance it has on the exterior is intentionally quite misleading – this is not some polished, sentimental story of friendship, but rather a darkly comedic examination of a young woman navigating that awkward space between adolescence and adulthood, learning some of life’s most challenging lessons through practical, hands-on experience, which reveals some of the world’s more difficult quirks to her. Anchored by a strong cast, driven by a sense of genuinely whimsical chaos, and willing to engage with a subject that many would consider to be somewhat conventional but still compelling enough to draw us in, Roommates is a terrific film, and one most certainly worth our time, if only to see just how far a simple premise can be pushed in the other direction, and proving that Levack is most certainly someone to watch.