Livia De Paolis

“Emoticon” flirts with nature of human identity

By Jenny Alvarez

Photo Cortesy

From co-writer/actor/director/producer Livia De Paolis.  De Paolis stars alongside Michael Cristopher (American Horror Story, Ray Donovan), Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominee Carol Kane (Hester Street, Sleepwalk with Me), multiple Golden Globe-nominee Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Burning Season), Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black, Open Vacancy), and Miles Chandler (The Longshots, The Education of Charlie Banks). Elena Gallenti (Livia De Paolis) is an anthropology graduate student struggling to compete her thesis on ‘modern means of communication.’ All that changes when she meets her new boyfriend’s (Michael Cristofer) teenage kids (Miles Chandler and Diane Guerrero), who are going through their own journeys of self-discovery. Through these relationships and the help of her PhD advisor (Carol Kane), Elena comes to a better understanding of how to navigate love and intimacy in the digital age. Ultimately they develop a bond that strikes a balance between the old world and the new, and everyone’s longing to find true emotional sense in both. In 79 minutes Elena has emotional struggles trough several series of scenes in which she’s seen interacting with her thesis advisor (Carol Kane). The adolescent performances show how they interact with their emotions and communication among them and their world. Also the story deals with unexpected pregnancies and how they can turn lives upside down in a heartbeat as well as the joys and pitfalls of trans-generational relationships. “Emoticon” isn’t bad, but in the end it just doesn’t reach down deep enough for something gritty and true.