Tribeca 2020: Love Spreads

Jessica (Chanel Cresswell), Kelly (Alia Shawkat), Patricia (Eiza Gonzalez) in Love Spreads. Courtesy of Tribeca.

Love Spreads is an exploration of the creative process when the pressure is mounting on band members to put together another album.

Following the end of their first tour, the members of Glass Heart head to Rockfield Studios to record their sophomore album.  The trio–and their band manager–are couped up there in an effort to create some music.  Like any sophomore effort, the pressure is on and for singer-songwriter Kelly (Alia Shawkat), it starts to become too much.  Band manager Mark (Nick Helm) is frustrated with the lack of results.

While Kelly struggles to create, another band member has come up with several song ideas.  However, there are really about 6-7 of those songs that could realistically work for the second album.  Then there’s Alice, who has come up with some chord ideas.  Meanwhile, Jess helps Kelly with writing some beats.  Altogether, the songwriting process is a team effort.  But at the end of the day, will it be enough to put together songs for the always-pressured second album?

This is a a film that I’m sure many creatives can resonate with at the moment.  It’s mid-April and many of us have been couped up in quarantine for a month with no end in sight.  I’ve looked at a blank page on a screen only to struggle when it comes to typing words.  So yes, I can completely resonate with Kelly and I know I’m not alone in this regard.

I like what writer-director Jamie Adams is doing with the film.  Writer’s block can be a serious problem.  Now more than ever, there’s so much anxiety that it can become very problematic in overcoming.  In exploring the creative process by way of a band, Adams looks at how the friendships can break down during the recording process.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER:  Jamie Adams
CAST:  Alia Shawkat, Eliza Gonzalez, Chanel Cresswell, Nick Helm, Dolly Wells, Tara Lee

Love Spreads was scheduled to premiere during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in the Spotlight Narrative program. Grade: 3.5/5

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.