Anchor and Hope mainly suffers because it is part of one of the more common subgenres of WLW film. Coming-of-age stories are probably the most common subgenre. But especially as queer rights continue to move forward, stories about journeys towards same-sex parenting are becoming more and more common. Anchor and Hope is one of at least a half dozen very similar themed movies I’ve seen. And within that collection of films, it’s a middling entry.
Anchor and Hope’s core couple consists of Kat and Eva. The couple live on a boat and generally enjoy their non-traditional lifestyle. However, Eva becomes passionate about having a baby and soon. It just so happens a male friend of Kat’s comes to stay with them at the same time. So, they use Kat’s friend Roger as a sperm donor. But this journey towards parenthood reveals the cracks already existing in Eva and Kat’s relationship.
This theme of parenthood journeys revealing an already unstable relationship is a particularly common standard of this subgenre. And obviously, it’s not inherently bad. Films need conflict and it’s realistic that a major relationship step like parenthood would add relationship pressure. Anchor and Hope suffers first of all because of how often I’ve seen this narrative. But it also suffers because there was no part in this movie where the relationship seemed solid. From the first scene, Eva and Kat have different wants in life and trouble communicating. This nearly 2 hour long film is less a question of “if” they breakup, but when.
That’s the other thing for me about Anchor and Hope. This story of a relationship that doesn’t work out is not interesting. Relationships not working is an incredibly common human experience. Depicting it in fiction requires a level of finesse or elevation. I applaud the fact that Anchor and Hope made this lesbian relationship experience relatable and near-universal relationship issues. But watching this relationship devolve isn’t interesting to me. Anchor and Hope doesn’t provide enough elevation that makes me want to engage with its fictional version instead of the real world. If I wanted to hear about a relationship that failed because of communication and wanting different things, I could go talk to any number of real life friends.
My final issue is that Anchor and Hope is yet another movie that falls into the abyss between drama and comedy. There are funny moments, there are dramatic moment. But much of the movie tries to split the difference between the two. As per usual with a failed dramedy, it ends up being not much of either. There’s not enough emotional depth to make it successful as a drama. And there’s not enough landed jokes to make it a comedy.
Anchor and Hope ends with an ambiguous ending where Eva repeats “I don’t know” in response to Kat’s questions about their future. It feels like an abject shrug of an ending. Which fits, I suppose. A shrug is my response to this movie. It’s not terrible, but it’s not notably good either. This is especially damning in a more crowded subgenre like WLW pregnancy journeys. I’ve given middling reviews to most entries into this subgenre, but Anchor and Hope is particularly middling.
Overall rating: 5.4/10
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