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WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
A divorced professor (Charles Whitfield) shares a night of passion with a troubled student (Draya Michele) who quickly develops an unhealthy—perhaps deadly—infatuation.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
It frustrates me when a movie that went straight to Netflix in the US gets a theatrical release in South Africa.
While I understand that the reason it gets one here is probably that the movie will do better in our region, I wish that audiences would be a bit more discerning.
There are a lot of good movies, even local ones that never make it to our big screens, because these low budget, B-grade movies take up space and surprisingly bring in money. We Belong Together is just another example of this.
I will be the first to admit that sometimes I like a bad movie. So many times, I have been sucked in by something on Lifetime.
What kept me glued to the screen and even invested is that it was entertaining, and the plots kept me scratching my head.
We Belong Together had none of these ingredients to grab my attention. It regurgitates the played out tropes of 'a crazy obsessed chick' and the 'poor unsuspecting man who becomes a victim'. And of course her being 'crazy' absolves him from his role in the sordid affair.
The antagonist's motivations as to why she becomes a stalker is grounded in her mental illness. I'm sorry, but mental illness should not be used as a plot device.
When it comes to this genre, it really is hard to reinvent the wheel and the least I expect is a big plot twist. This was missing and the movie never really peaked for me.
When it comes to the acting, I guess everyone was working with what they were given. There were times when Charles Whitfield tried to bring some depth to his character. Draya Michele best known for appearing in the reality show, Basketball Wives of LA has her first significant leading role. While she gets the 'crazy' down to a tee, her performance is one dimensional.
If you really want to watch this movie wait for it come on TV, or instead go listen to Mariah Carey's, We Belong Together, now that was a hit.
