Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)

Director Cooper Raiff is, somewhat astoundingly, only twenty-five years of age. Whilst many may find it offensive at what brilliance he’s achieved in that time, I can only be thankful to him for his directorial output so far. His film Shithouse was one of the best films of 2020, and he encapsulates the charm of that for his latest where he stars as Andrew, a twenty two year old fresh out of college and working in a fast food joint as well as finding work as a bar mitzvah party host. Sharing a room with his younger brother whilst he finds his feet, Andrew strikes up a friendship with Dakota Johnson’s Domino, and her autistic daughter (Vanessa Burghardt). Although Domino is more than a decade older than Andrew, the chemistry between them feels like a special connection to both, and even though Domino is engaged, her fiancé is frequently out of town, enabling the enhancement of Andrew and Domino’s relationship. Cha Cha Real Smooth is about many things, and going through heartbreak is certainly one of them; whilst Andrew has his own relationship issues (the girl he originally loves at the beginning of the film moves to Barcelona, and through social media reconnaissance, it becomes clear she’s seeing someone else) his younger brother is attempting to kiss a girl for the first time, and seeks advice from his older brother throughout. Raiff has a gift for constructing believable relationships whether they are family, friend, or spouse, and Cha Cha Real Smooth adds another string to his bow. It’s a lovely film, and watching it as part of a double bill with Good Luck To You, Leo Grande leaves you feel a huge mixture of emotions, but the most important thing you leave with is the fact that you’ve sat through two quite exceptional, very humanistic films. 8.0/10