In the opening moments of The Janice Conversations, you'll likely be saying to yourself "It's no wonder these two didn't work out." As time plays out, however, we begin to see other sides of Janice (Asta Paredes) and Ignacio (Patrick Adam Peña). 

Janice and Ignacio are two "better as friends" exes, awkward hang-outs taking the place of a former relationship. However, this day is just a wee bit different as we begin to see the two arriving at a different place and, maybe just maybe, truly seeing each other for the very first time. 

Directed by Scott Seagren from Peña's script, The Janice Conversations wins us over precisely because over the course of the film's twenty minutes we begin to understand the common ground between Janice and Ignacio and we begin to feel the emotional underbelly of that relational spark. 

As Ignacio, Peña is rough and gruff. There's an intellectual exterior and a searching soul within this guy who drops F-bombs easily but tries harder than hell to mask his obvious emotional core. As his shards of humanity reveal themselves, Peña's Ignacio becomes a quietly compelling character who may not act a lot like Janice but most certainly has far more in common with her than we initially expect. 

Asta Paredes, also a producer on the film, is an absolute gem as Janice. It's undeniably intentional that our first suspicion is that this woman was always out of Ignacio's league, however, it doesn't take long for us to realize that's our own preconceived biases and as the story unfolds we see Paredes peel away Janice's layers in a subtle yet memorable way. 

Original music by Mike Hendricks is effective in capturing the film's emotional rhythms and Seagren's own lensing for the film nicely embraces the changing nuances between the two characters and the incrementally increasing vulnerability. 

It's all quite enjoyable to watch. 

The Janice Conversations is an effective, enjoyable adult dramatic short presenting engaging characters and a story that makes us appreciate both of them. If you get a chance, I'd definitely check it out. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic