There's something quietly ambitious about Anmol Mishra's Romancing Sydney, a love song of sorts to the Australia that Mishra calls home. The film introduces us to three loosely connected stories...

There's Elisa (Susanne Richter) and Sachin (Mishra), arguably the central coupling here with a fairytale-like dreaminess that will either put you into a meditative state of being or lull you to sleep. 

Then, there's Zac (Brendon Wong) and Alex (Connor Dowling), an athletic duo with lingering doubts amongst themselves. 

Finally, we're introduced to the adorably awkward George (Peter Hayes) and Lilli (Gabrielle Chan), the owner of the antique shop where George works. 

There's a vintage romanticism to Romancing Sydney that I suspect will work well for some while growing tiresome for others including, somewhat surprisingly, this critic. There are musical dance sequences throughout the film that are both enchanting yet tiresome, any hope of emotional resonance often shattered by interruptions that sometimes work and sometimes don't. While it feels like Elisa and Sachin are front-and-center here narratively, I found myself most enchanted by George and Lilli, whose dynamics feel more genuine and honest and whose interactions add a needed spark for the film. 

I've long been an admirer of Mishra's cinematically adventurous spirit, though here it feels undercooked and as if, somehow, the vision in Mishra's mind hasn't quite translated completely to the big screen. To be sure, Romancing Sydney has its admirers with ten festival prizes already along its indie fest journey including Best Feature wins at Paradise Film Festival and East Village New York Film Festival. 

After Mishra's superior Death, Romancing Sydney feels like a bit of a letdown. Is it overly ambitious for a low-budget effort? Perhaps. 

The simple truth is that Romancing Sydney is a romantic comedy where I never felt a thing and I never laughed. Though, to be fair, I'm not quite sure that "romantic comedy" is how I would even describe the film. 

None of this is to say that Romancing Sydney is a failure. It's not. It's an ambitious, at times quite successful effort with captivating visuals and a unique structure that will sweep some moviegoers away with its dreamlike atmosphere and captivating faith in love. While Romancing Sydney isn't a film that worked for me, for those who appreciate the more experimental side of cinema it may very well be worth your time if it plays at a festival near you. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic