ZELOS: An Unconventional Tale Of Infidelity

“Would you rather cheat or be cheated on?”: a question that nobody really expects to be asked or ask in their lifetime. Bernard (Ben Mortley) is a successful thirty something who owns a beach house and is in a wonderful relationship – or so he thinks – with his girlfriend Sarah (Shannon Ashlyn), who he is planning to move in with after she returns from overseas. That is, until Sarah confesses she had an affair while being away. To even things out and save their love, she suggests that Bernard should sleep with someone else.

Unlike most films that tackle the difficult subject of infidelity, Zelos is a directorial debut written, directed and co-produced by two women: Jo-Anne Brechin and Claire J. Harris. It’s extremely refreshing and also very interesting to see a feminine take on a film of this subject. The cinematographer, a young woman named Emma Paine, did a fantastic job of showing us the beautiful Australian setting at its best and most beautiful. She went from making it a joy filled happy place to quickly switching it around to a dark, angry place, mirroring the couple’s arguments and tension building around them.

It is relieving for this crew to make a film with the best people for the job regardless of gender, and these choices make this film very thoughtfully shot and very endearing. Zelos was marketed as ‘a coming-of-age story for thirty somethings’ and that is exactly what the director gave us.

Salvaging a Relationship

It is believed by many that there is always one person in a relationship who puts more effort or is more invested. It seems as if Bernard is that person in his relationship. More importantly, we learn as the film goes along that Sarah and Bernard truly do love each other equally. A stunning montage of them at the start of the film shows how much they love each other and all of the memories they have shared together. Funnily enough, the scenes that ended up showcasing their love in the best and most authentic way were the scenes where they were both hurting: Sarah being in pain from hurting someone she loves the most; Bernard being in pain from trusting and believing in someone who should have known better.

Zelos shows us jealousy without the risk. There is no chance of Sarah running back to the man she cheated with because he’s overseas and he’s never seen or described at all. Bernard is going through the conflict and emotional turmoil because of the fact that his girlfriend cheated on him, with every good reason. We watch as the incident weighs on his mind throughout the film and there are many ways he tries to process and wrap his head around this information. Bernard tries to go along with Sarah’s plan to have his own affair and he even writes his pain into a screenplay. Seeing the slow destruction of their relationship is wonderfully brought to life, remaining as realistic as possible as a result of the great direction by Brechin.

The performances within are great. Shannon Ashlyn as Sarah has something she brings out in herself that she makes you understand why Bernard wouldn’t leave her right away after she reveals what she did to him. She makes you want him to forgive her for the infidelity. Ben Mortley as Bernard is subtly spectacular. It would be nice to see more of them in bigger, mainstream projects, as they are both incredibly engaging to watch and their chemistry is off the charts.

This film is obviously at its strongest points when it’s focused on what we pressed play in hopes to watch – Bernard and Sarah’s rocky relationship. Other scenes that showed them spending time with friends are deemed unnecessary, boring and lacklustre, but that just adds to how interesting the couple was.

As far as independent, small budget productions go, Zelos takes the cake. Visually, it doesn’t look like a low budget film in the slightest. The cinematography, the editing and lighting have a one up on most indie films and the cinematographer did such a great job at translating their feelings from script to screen through her camera work.

One quote that kind of stuck after watching the film was something Bernard had said to Sarah, ‘men can be more romantic than you women give us credit for’. What he says speaks volumes to the portrayal of modern love we saw within this film: we are all going through the same thing, trying to find the one for us and acknowledging that none of us know what we are doing or have the slightest clue what love actually is.

Zelos: Warm, Tender and Extremely Emotional

After the film ended, the realization came: it is Bernard who becomes the one in the wrong towards the end due to his excessive jealousy, anger and his inability to express his true feelings. This leads to a unconventional game of cat and mouse as mind games and lies drive an even bigger wedge between the two. Everyone has done things they regret – and most of us have to deal with the consequences. When a couple goes through an experience like this or something similar, it can often end up with the relationship becoming stronger than ever. On the other hand, when things don’t go the way you want them to, it can make for a heartbreaking disaster.

Zelos is definitely not your typical romantic comedy and it’s an extremely complicated film, full of obstacles that a majority of people can relate to. We as viewers feel for both sides of the relationship and we watch as it crumbles at the same speed that your typical rom-com would succeed in bringing a romantic connection together.

What do you think of Jo-Anne Brechin’s directorial debut? Is it something you can relate to?

Zelos was released in Australia on September 8th, 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOFfFH0-R0M