Idle Thoughts 2018 Movie Review

『Facing the Truth in a Love Born from Lies』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Idle Thoughts (2018)
🌍 Country: 🇨🇦 Canada
🎞️ Genre: Romance / Comedy / Queer
🗓️ Production & Release: Andrew Willig, 2018, Short Film
⏳ Running Time: Approx. 70 minutes
📢 Director: Andrew Willig
🖋️ Screenplay: Andrew Willig
📺 Platform: YouTube

👩‍💼 Cast: Alexandra Voicu – as Poppy
Nathalie J. Cerny – as Elaine

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🎭 The Dangerous Project of a Lazy Writer

The film begins with Poppy, a writer who has lost her inspiration and is living an idle life—just as the title “Idle Thoughts” suggests. Pressured by her publisher to produce a new book, she struggles to find any good ideas.

• The Beginning of a Lie: Poppy meets her new girlfriend, Elaine, and decides to use their relationship as the subject for her next book. The problem is that she plans to pretend the relationship lasts longer than it actually does in order to finish her novel. In other words, her affection for Elaine begins not from sincerity but as a creative experiment for her story.

• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Throughout the film, Poppy frequently looks directly into the camera, confiding in the audience about her thoughts, complaints about Elaine, and the process of sustaining her deception. This technique turns the viewers into accomplices in her “scheme,” testing how they react to her morally questionable behavior.

⚖️ The Daily Life and Moral Contradictions of a False Relationship

As Poppy and Elaine’s “fake” relationship continues, the film sheds light on the realistic aspects of long-term love.

• Highlighting the “Bad Parts” of a Relationship: Poppy constantly complains to the audience about Elaine’s annoying habits and small flaws. Every time she focuses on these irritations, she feels less guilty about deceiving Elaine and more motivated to write her book. Instead of romantic bliss, the film portrays the mundane, uncomfortable side of a relationship rarely shown in romantic comedies.

• An Unlikable Protagonist: Poppy feels almost no guilt about deceiving Elaine; in fact, her depictions of Elaine can be rather spiteful. This makes it difficult for the audience to sympathize with her, even leading them to anticipate the inevitable downfall of the relationship.

• Connection to the Original Work: The film loosely draws from the book The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, which explores vanity, selfishness, and lost love. Poppy’s behavior can thus be interpreted as a reflection of both personal flaws and the universal selfishness inherent in human relationships.

🔥 Exposure, Collapse, and Genuine Emotion

The film’s conclusion follows the classic romantic comedy structure, where Poppy’s deception is exposed and the authenticity of their relationship is put to the test.

• The Exposure and Collapse: Eventually, Elaine discovers Poppy’s lies, and their relationship falls apart. Elaine realizes that what she believed to be love was merely “research” and “material” for Poppy’s book, leaving her deeply betrayed and hurt.

• The Possibility of True Love: Following the conventions of romantic comedy, Poppy finally realizes that her feelings for Elaine were not part of her performance but a genuine love. She begins to regret her selfish actions and seeks Elaine’s forgiveness.

• Elaine’s “Breaking the Fourth Wall”: Interestingly, in the final part of the film, Elaine also speaks directly to the camera. This reverses the narrative perspective that had belonged solely to Poppy and introduces the victim’s point of view, offering an honest look at the pain and truth within the relationship. It allows the audience to step out of Poppy’s self-centered narrative and face the deeper emotional reality.

🌟 Questioning Authenticity over Romance

Although Idle Thoughts centers on a queer couple, it delves more into ethical questions about relationships than into lighthearted romance. Poppy’s selfish actions make viewers uncomfortable, but that discomfort serves to underline how essential authenticity, commitment, and respect are in any relationship.

This is a story of a writer who tries to “use” love for her work, only to grow through that very experience. Poppy’s “idle thoughts” lead her into deceit, but after witnessing Elaine’s pain, she finally learns the true meaning of emotional labor and devotion. The film closes with their reconciliation, leaving a poignant message: True love cannot be built on deception—it can only begin anew on honesty and forgiveness.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★