Step Back, Doors Closing is simple in writing and execution. Yet, in an industry where current demands so easily overpower the classic romance formula, we are seeing fewer rom-coms exist so effortlessly in the space.
Written and directed by Carter Ward, the rom-com follows two strangers who meet by chance on a train. After a series of small inconveniences push them together, the unlikely pair spend a whirlwind night together exploring Washington, DC.
Carmen Berkeley plays Julisa, a college student contemplating her career as she arrives in town for a conference. She finds solace in Reilly Walters’ Ryan, a self-proclaimed “relationship guy” who has recently found himself single and grieving a past love.
Together, Julisa and Ryan peel back the layers of their separate struggles while leaning into the unexpected love brewing between them. When the doors finally close on their time together, the chance encounter irrevocably changes the trajectory of both their lives forever.
Perhaps what is most enduring about Ward’s Step Back, Doors Closing is how comfortable it is in its own skin.
The indie romance doesn’t resort to grand gestures. Instead, it lets the chemistry, the carefully crafted script, and the hypnotic sway of a city skyline on the verge of sleep speak with grandeur.
Love is a language first and foremost. When spoken carefully and demonstrated through the smallest of gestures, the illusion of love can be all a movie needs to succeed. And it really is beautiful to see Ryan and Julisa fall for each other through a series of personal declarations and vulnerable choices. Beyond the draw of an unexplored city, there are no gimmicks for their relationship development to hide behind, and that’s incredibly brave of the film.
It relies entirely on the chemistry of two actors, and Berkeley and Walters are more than up to the task of delivering. The two actors are clearly having an incredible time playing in the script’s sandbox of soulful and quippy dialogue.
This film resembles projects like Before We Go. Yet seems to pull off a far more impressive end product than some of its blockbuster counterparts. It breaks up the languid flow of dialogue with a steady stream of tolerable jokes and interesting character reveals, as well as encounters with new characters and notable Washington backdrops.
Sometimes the film does stumble over some of its comedic attempts, coming off a little oddball or bizarre for the tone the dialogue has set.
However, with a crisp run time and strong delivery from the leads, the film never outstays its welcome. The plot invests just enough time into these characters to develop meaningful relationships with the parts of them we need to know about before it sends them off into the unknown.
An excellent rom-com is nothing without strong leads, and three notable ones are putting on a show here.
While frustratingly vague at times, together Julisa and Ryan do authentically represent the parts we share with strangers and the parts we keep hidden for as long as we can. Their flirty, mysterious energy propels the night forward with heartfelt confessions and shy physicality. Ryan’s desire to watch Julisa fall in love with his hometown is quite endearing. Coupled with some excellent delivery, you will be pleasantly surprised by the calibre and poignancy of the pairing.
Especially when they wake the next morning as strangers once again, demonstrating how much the city’s nightlife can propel two people to project a different version of themselves.
The third accomplice in their romantic crusade is Washington. It’s an unconventional movie backdrop, but the film goes to great lengths to infuse this story with depth through the historical streets of the charming city. From dimly lit restaurants once graced by the butts of presidential couples to the gardens of blooming cherry blossom trees, this film understands our desire to fall in love with the destination as much as the people.
If you appreciate love and storytelling in their simplistic forms, you will appreciate the magic of a meet-cute that could happen to anyone at any time.
Step Back, Doors Closing delivers a classic rom-com at a time when the genre desperately needs to get back to the basics.
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