On a surface level, it's a New York story from the 00s about rich millennials experimenting with sex and drugs. But simmering underneath is a timeless family drama with elements from Greek tragedy traditions. In this family, momentous ordeals are being bottled up and dealt with individually; some turn to sex, others to booze and drugs, while protagonist Josh creates his own way of handling it all. Writer/director Ron Brown isn't afraid to tackle difficult dilemmas; he positively wallows in them. Some may find that he is courageous and has a knack for looking behind curtains. Others may think he desperately wants to be provocative. And perhaps both are true to some extent. At any rate, he gets fine performances out of Peter Vack (his son) and Troian Bellisario. There are scenes in Consent that transcend their otherwise very much scripted context. Ultimately, Brown gets a little too hung up on his controversies. But even if some of them are cliches, all are rather tactfully handled. End note: Consent was caught in post-production hell for seven years: filmed in 2007 and shown in various festivals in 2010, it did not get a wide release until 2013.
Review of Consent
