“Like I said, we’re going to put this behind us and move on. You understand that this doesn’t change anything, right?”

Michelle

A coming of age film that deals with sensitive but common familial issues — infidelity and illness — Tableau is a professional-looking debut from writer-director Stuart Howes that struggles to find depth despite its subject matter. Tableau follows Nicole, a photography student on the cusp of establishing her independence, who struggles to deal with her mother’s nonchalant revelation of an affair. Sofia Smith’s performance is filled with subtle expressions that draw in the audience. However the dialogue is hopelessly stilted in both writing and delivery, worsened by what appears to be heavy use of ADR in post-production. What should be intimate scenes feel jarringly artificial. Nicole’s attempt to navigate the balance between family responsibilities and forging her own path is interesting, but Tableau has little insight to offer. There is also a bizarre choice to switch to the mother’s perspective in the film’s closing shots, suggesting that Howes intends for the audience to empathise with her but it is far too late to have any impact. Overall this confusion of filmmaking tools is not a failure but it strips Tableau of any real effectiveness.

5/10