Verona tells the story of Camila Baron (Kat Khan), a young woman who feels the burden of her father’s story after her estranged grandfather passes away. Romantically involved with her pastor, Mackenzie (Basia Wyszynski), Camila struggles to reconcile the wild nature of youth with the pain of her family. Feeling lost, Camila follows her own path but, in doing so, threatens to upend her relationships in the process.
Directed by Sebastian Back, Verona is more of an introspective piece than it is a narrative, structure film. Although the film unravels a simple, humanist drama of one woman’s fall out of love, Back’s style and substance suggests that the viewer take a more meditative stance.
Without question, this is one of the quieter films to be released in 2023. Dialogue is kept to a minimum, and the camera lingers on imagery, such as faces and scenes of the natural world. As a result, while performances are good from its cast, Back weaves his story in such a way that they become secondary to the films visual structure. Surprisingly, the film almost echoes the work of Terrence Malik, as the narrative meaning seems to be constructed by the pieces of its visuals and their philosophical conjecture. Whether they are the darkest shadows or deepest reds, colours often bleed out throughout the film, highlighting the overwhelming nature of life in all its madness.
However, embedded within the film’s subtext seems to be some deep meditations on faith and our connection with the Divine. Camila is a woman who cares about her spiritual life and attends service regularly. Her pastor, Mackenzie, is supportive and passionate about hope and healing. While the two remain deeply in love, Mackenzie is still committed to praying for her congregation. She fully leans into her faith and desires to offer grace to all the people under her care.
Camila’s relationship with her pastor enlivens her soul. However, as her life begins to spiral, so too is she willing to step out on her own. Yet, while the film holds her accountable for her actions, it never fully judges her. Instead, Verona highlights her humanness as she fumbles through her life, wondering why she does the things that she does.
In a way, Verona feels like a prayer. Through his reflective tone, Back presents his characters as flawed in their humanity yet still worth loving. Although their actions may have consequences, the film recognizes that God still loves his people. (“God isn’t scared of complicated people,” we are told.]
And, in Verona, we see that life is full of complicated people.
Though Camila may be the film’s focus, each character reveals the pieces of their soul as they attempt to put them together. (Although, Mackenzie seems to be the most fully actualized person amidst this motley crew.) However, Verona never questions their value or the importance of their journey towards self-actualization. Their journey matters, no matter how flawed. For Back, consequences are reality but so is our need to explore who we hard. As a result, Verona calls for grace and patience for people who are on the road to salvation, even if they take some wrong turns along the way.
Verona is available in Toronto on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 and only night only showings on November 6th in select Landmark theatres.
