3RD STREET BLACKOUT: Relationship Turbulence During A Blackout

3rd Street Blackout is an independent romantic comedy written, directed by and starring Negin Farsad (as Mina) and Jeremy Redleaf (as Rudy). The film explores the trials one tech-savvy couple endures during the midst of a post hurricane blackout in an urban New York City neighborhood. It also features Ed Weeks (as Nathan Blonket) and a brief appearance by Janeane Garofalo (as June Sherman).

Since this is a film that is written, directed, and produced by the stars of the film, it begs the question: Is this based on true events? 

Within the first few minutes of the film I was taken in by Mina’s cute quirkiness. It felt authentic, as did the connection between Mina and Rudy. Aside from an overdependence on technology, Mina and Rudy appear to be well-adjusted individuals in the prime of their lives.

Young & Modern

The couple comes off as a quirky modern day pair who genuinely like each other. They’ve grown up in the information age and are clearly products of it, as the film opens up with them texting each other, just to see that they’re actually only about twenty feet apart. Mina is a neuroscientist and Rudy is a hacker. While she’s giving a TED talk to find an angel investor in her research, he’s winning an award at a hacking competition for seed money to jumpstart a company with two of his friends.

After a hurricane hits the east coast, this urban New York City neighborhood is hit with a blackout. How is this technology obsessed couple supposed to entertain themselves? When Mina can’t upload a blackout selfie to her instagram account, they realize that this means not only no electricity but no wi-fi, either. Questioning what to do now, they decide that an absence of electricity is what must have caused people to invent a variety of sex positions. Yet, instead of making the most of an intimate opportunity, they engage in a rap battle at the piano as a form of entertainment instead.

In The Dark

There is an underlying issue that is revealed in flashback sequences as we come in and out of the present, which reveals that Mina is hiding a guilty conscious. It engages the audience to feel empathic towards her motives, if she had taken the bait during her trip to Long Beach for the TED talk. Her expressions relay that of guilt and discomfort. When Rudy sees a picture of Mina and her “angel investor” with his hand on her knee, she quickly covers, saying he’s gay and calling him “Gaythan”.

In their quest for entertainment during the blackout, they throw a party and Nathan (“Gaythan”) Blonket (Ed Weeks) shows up. During the party, Rudy attempts to set Nathan up with one of his friends only to discover that Mina lied and Nathan isn’t gay after all. Once the party clears, the couple has a misunderstanding and Rudy leaves during the blackout, making communication between the two tricky, setting up our couple’s conflict.

During their time apart and having to find creative ways to get in touch with each other, Rudy hires a messenger boy, Chuck (Miles J. Harvey) to deliver handwritten notes between the two. Mina develops a heartwarming relationship with her neighbor, Susan (Phyllis Somerville), who she is sort of rude to in the first encounter we see between them. Susan becomes Mina’s best ally in helping to track Rudy down, as Mina has no idea how to find him. This relationship becomes mutually beneficial and shows tenderness develop between the younger and older generation.

Rudy is across town with his two friends that we’re introduced to as his partners in hacking early on in the film. They provide a loyal support system and I suspect are meant to provide comic relief in the film, but Ari (Jordan Carlos) comes off a little flat and Christina aka “DUBS” (Katie Hartman) is obnoxious. But these flat and obnoxious characters are also rooted in modern realism and we’ve all had friends or acquaintances like them, making them relatable and therefore not out of place in this story.

In The Light

One of the nice things about 3rd Street Blackout is that it showed both sides of the relationship, with each partner caring enough about each other to keep reaching out in the midst of difficult obstacles in communication. From hilarious missing persons posters to a punch in the earlobe, this is a couple who, despite individual and personal flaws, love each other.

Of course, the film has a predictable ending, but that’s to be expected with romantic comedies. They’re meant to make you feel good and root for the couple to come together, which this one does well. The film is cute, quirky, modern and authentic, even during the cringe-worthy rap battles. At least they acknowledge in the beginning of the film that they’re terrible rappers, so all is forgiven.

The casting choices were also a nice touch of diversity. It was a nice change to see a variety of skin tones and personality in appearances. The cast portrayed a snapshot of the melting pot of humans that you would expect to find in a large city such as New York. It veered away from what Hollywood typically shows us, and was quite refreshing.

Afterthoughts

Does 3rd Street Blackout pass the Bechdel Test? No. All scenes with women getting together and exchanging dialogue somehow revolve around finding a man or fighting for a man.

There were some parts of the film that were slow, and a little fat could have been trimmed here and there. I could have done without the couple’s rap battle. That was bad. And the second time we see the accordion street musician is comparable to nails on a chalkboard, so thankfully that part doesn’t last very long. When it comes to street musicians, it’s not as common to see a nicely dressed accordion player, and I thought it was a nice touch to this story, but one shot of her was all we needed. What the film lacks in sexual content it more than makes up for in foul language, as the quirky and witty Mina has a mouth on her like a drunken sailor.

Technically speaking, the cinematography is beautifully done. There’s great coverage, and visually it captured the story very well. I particularly enjoyed the bar scene with the sparklers, and the way it looked on screen. The writing was well done as a fresh take on a modern day couple.

Overall, the film had a genuine and relatable feel to it. If you like a feel-good love story based in the modern age, you’ll enjoy 3rd Street Blackout.

What would you do to keep yourself entertained during a blackout? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDYdujE1kPI