Mark, Mary & Some Other People is Hannah Marks’ second feature film. While I’m not familiar with her directorial work, I have been familiar with her performances in Slash and Daniel Isn’t Real, so I was very intrigued by what type of filmmaker and writer she will be. This film might end up one of the biggest surprises out of Tribeca. I initially put it on to watch something that might not be entirely heavy or something I didn’t give my full attention to. Within the first five minutes, I was invested and prepared for the emotional journey I was about to go on. Or at least, that’s what I thought.
The film follows a married couple, Mark (Ben Rosenfield) and Mary (Hayley Law), as they try to have an ethical non-monogamous relationship after being together for about a year-ish. The film opens with a hilarious and awkward meet-cute at a store as Mark finds Mary in the process of buying a pregnancy test. The two go to get a smoothie, and instantly, I was aware of the chemistry between Mark and Mary. Between the banter and the glances, when Mark asks for her number to be told, “I should probably find out if I’m knocked up first,” I knew the film wouldn’t be a typical rom-com.
Once they’re married, we’re introduced to some of their friends. For Mary, it’s the rest of her band (originally named Buttercunt, but this continues to change based on different vulgar sexual names – a running joke that gets funnier), composed of her sister, Tori (Sofia Bryant), and Lana (Odessa A’Zion). Meanwhile, Mark has AJ (Matt Shively, who delivers some of the funniest line readings in the film) and Kyle (Nik Bodani), who he works out with, occasionally gets high with, and attends parties that they host. The friends round out the film so nicely, adding a lot of humor while always understanding Mary or Mark’s moment. During a rehearsal session, and a workout session, both Mark’s friends and Mary’s friends ask them about settling down too early, realizing that they’ll be the last sexual partner that they’ll have. This leads to the conversation with which Mark and Mary decide to have to sleep with some other people, hence the title.
While the supporting cast is given the majority of the funniest scenes in the film, Hayley Law and Ben Rosenfield do all the heavy lifting. They give incredible performances that prove they deserve the spotlight. While Rosenfield balances quirky, adorable, and suave as Mark, it’s Mary’s film. Hannah Mark’s dialogue is effortlessly performed by Law, making it sound like music to your ears. As someone who still watches Riverdale, seeing Hayley move on from the show made me excited for all of her future projects. While I fully adore Spontaneous, she owns every moment on screen and deserves to have more leading roles.
I’m not familiar with many romantic comedies that open with our couple getting married, followed by watching them being allowed to sleep with other people. While we’re getting to a place in society where open and ethical non-monogamous relationships are becoming more common, even outside of queer relationships, it’s rare to see it hold the spotlight in a film. It makes for a fascinating and, once again, hilarious scene in which they’re at a restaurant trying to develop the rules moving forward. Rules that might bend and break as they continue. They capture all the correct terminology, such as being the “priority relationship,” being the partner with which you’ll spend the most time, the one you’d go home to.
The film captures how there might be positives and negatives to having an open relationship, and while it works for some, it might not work for all. As romantic comedies do, there eventually are arguments, fights, and questions about whether or not it’s worth staying open. With some films, you might not care, but I found myself caring deeply about Mark and Mary.
The film seems to have been shot with a wide fisheye lens, as objects on the left and right sides would seem distorted compared to when they’d be found in the center. This took me out of the film from time to time, but I was invested in Casey Stolberg’s cinematography. Patrick Stump’s score moved me as I watched this couple fall in love, sleep with other people, and stay in love. Mary, Mary & Some Other People packs an emotional punch, but the punch is softened with tons of laughter. Watching the film left me in a daze, both surprised and captivated by the dialogue. Hannah Marks understands her characters and gives us a remarkable story that challenges normal conventions and portrayals of romantic love, by starting in a store where two people fell in love over a pregnancy test.
