It's Carla's anniversary, and she's sure that her husband Frank is going to surprise her with dinner. He had forgotten the year before, so he's going to make up for that slight with something fancy and extravagant -- starting with the bouquet left on her doorstep. She enlists her best friend and neighbor, Angela, to help make her over for dinner, helping her reinvent her frumpy appearance into something exciting and attractive. But it's not so easy when you're no longer young, and Carla and Angela are on a tight deadline before Frank comes home. Directed and written by Lain Kienzle, this short comedy has broad, riotous energy, tracking the nearly herculean efforts of one woman to get ready for a romantic night with her husband. The film essentially elongates one of the trusty staples of many female-centered comedies: the makeover montage, where a character undergoes "the works" to reinvent her physical image, often in the hopes of reinventing her inner self with fresh, exciting energy. Here, rendered in a visual style that is both naturalistic and cannily heightened, it's stretched out in a way that's both thoughtful and humorous, turning the hope and effort of glamour into a good-natured chain of mishaps and discomfort and a meditation of what we do to make ourselves worthy of love and attention. But while it pokes fun at the complications of feminine grooming rituals and the artificiality of beauty standards, the humor is never mean-spirited. Instead, the excellent writing takes care in building up its characters' inner worlds, especially that of Carla, who sincerely loves her husband and is touchingly excited at the prospect of enjoying a romantic occasion with him. The storytelling also devotes just as much care to detailing Carla's friendship with Angela. Both women are heightened characters, but their appreciation of one another is genuinely warm, appreciative, and emotionally connected. Actors Johnnie Mae and Lin Tucci play Carla and Angela, both gamely diving into the demands of farcical comedy with Elan.
But when Carla's evening doesn't go as planned, both actors convey a rich, moving depth, hinting at the disappointments of midlife, the resignation of a long-term marriage, and the love and care that exists between best friends. "Anniversary" heads into its final sequence in a different register than the earlier part of the film. From the energetic run-up to the evening, we segue into a quieter, nuanced, and moving ending, one that acknowledges the sincerity of Carla's true desire to be loved and cherished and the poignant disappointment when that desire is not met in the way she hoped. Here, the film reveals its true heart and soul, as well as an emotional generosity that extends to all its characters. It's the same kindness, empathy, and compassion that Carla finds in her best friend, who may just be the true love of her life -- a source of unconditional acceptance, a willingness to be there in both good and bad times, a shoulder to cry on and a fellow human ready to laugh and cry through it all, together.
