Teresa (Madison Lanesey) isn't a particularly likable young woman. 

She's attractive. She's even rather personable. She's just not very likable. 

Her husband Drew (Travis Quentin Young), on the other hand, is immensely likable. He's damn near perfect in a myriad of ways with only his seemingly out of place tats hinting at a bit of an edge underneath the surface. 

Teresa and Drew are married. They're still early in their marriage, though it's abundantly clear as we meet them that the honeymoon phase is over and the two are struggling to make things work. A long delayed honeymoon presents the chance to right the course and stabilize the relationship. 

Or not. 

When originally sent to me, I Really Love My Husband was billed as a romantic comedy. That may prove to be part of the problem in marketing this feature film debut from writer/director G.G. Hawkins. It's difficult to peg and has unique rhythms all its own. Oh sure, it's funny and relatable in spots. It's also quite thought-provoking and dramatic in other places where you sort of shake your head and think to yourself "This is deeper than I expected." 

Some won't like it. That's for sure. Others will relate to it immensely. Almost inexplicably, I'm stuck in the middle as someone who more admired the film than enjoyed it while also relating to it more than I expected. 

Both Lanesey and Young are infinitely watchable young performers. Lanesey, in particular, isn't afraid to lean into Teresa's more unlikable elements. In fact, I had to laugh as I checked out the film's Letterboxd and saw a comment from Lanesey herself "I know I know, she’s hard to love.  But then again, it IS hard to love."

That, perhaps, sums up the film better than I ever could. 

Love is hard. Love is damn hard. I know I've never succeeded at it. In fact, in my brief (less than one year) marriage, I recall hearing from my already unhappy wife a varation of Teresa's comment to Drew "Can  you try not to be so good?"

I have a feeling Drew could try and he would still be so good. 

I Really Love My Husband had its world premiere at SXSW and its unique voice is refreshing, challenging, and compelling even in the film's slow moments. Hawkins lends the film a strong female perspective and, in fact, the film features an all female producing team and a crew compromised mostly of women. 

Does that matter? I think it does. Watch the film for yourself and you'll see. 

For some reason, perhaps it was because I identified with her, I adored Teresa and I enjoyed Lanesey's ability to bring out her anxieties and insecurities without ever making us hate her. We don't love her. We don't hate her. If anything, we recognize her. 

Young's Drew is immensely relatable. In some ways, he's the perfect catch and yet sometimes in life we begin to realize that the perfect catch may not be the perfect catch for "me." Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. 

When you add in a certain non-binary presence named Paz (Arta Gee), things get interesting. Gee, by the way, is fabulous here. 

Love is hard. Relationships are hard. With Drew, Teresa is forced to face things we like to keep underneath the surface. In different ways, Drew faces those same challenges though his concerns are grounded less in anxiety and insecurity. 

Are they in love? Is that enough? I Really Love My Husband handles it all with a little wit, a lot of irreverence, moments of poignancy, and a willingness to acknowledge the messiness of what it means to really love another human being. 

I Really Love My Husband offers excellent lensing by Ryan Thomas with an appealing original score by Hollie Buhagiar to amplify the film's narrative and emotional rhythms. It's an engaging feature debut from G.G. Hawkins and a real sign of a compelling new indie voice on the horizon. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic