Written and directed by upcoming filmmaker Emily Ann Zisko, Play It by Ear is an intimate and sincere miniseries that invites its audience inside the intense relationship of its central couple, from their passionate rows to their throes of passion.
What happens when a college romance must grow its roots in real world? With their career aspirations pulling them different directions, sweethearts Mila (Emily Ann Zisko) and Lukas (Dillon Bentlage) find themselves an ocean apart.
Shortly after graduating, Mila is offered a spot on a highly coveted scriptwriters’ programme in LA, while Lukas secures a position at a magazine in Amsterdam, where he was born. Work, Wi-Fi and wandering eyes all threaten their long-distance love from blossoming. With a painful 9-hour time difference, it’s not only a struggle to keep things spicy in the bedroom; it’s a fight for their future together.
You’ll never see an opening sequence like it. As we’re treated to a shot down each of our lead’s toilets after their respective masturbatory sessions, it’s clear that Play It by Ear isn’t playing when it comes to showing the highs and lows of long-distance love. From long nights trawling porn sites for a quick fix, to the distinct un-sexiness of phone sex (and its awkward real-world interruptions), this show gets how difficult it is to, well, not get it.
Despite this, the series still manages to be distinctly sensual. Not only is it unafraid to show female pleasure, it also does a great job of portraying that unique yearning experienced by a couple going through physical separation.
Most importantly of all, the central couple are believable. With a lot of time spent in extreme close-up, Zisko’s Mila is a compelling, almost ethereal presence (bringing Julie Delphy in the Before trilogy energy), while Bentlage’s Lukas has easy, charismatic leading man charm. You understand why they got together, and the screen lights up when the two make a rare appearance in the same frame.
It’s a raunchy and insular picture of love – but some comic relief, perhaps in the form of a light-hearted sub-plot, wouldn’t have gone amiss. With the lusts of the two lead characters front and centre, their characters are in danger of being self-involved at the expense of the development of other characters. Mila’s likeable best friend Sammy (Enosa Ogbeide), for example, has some interesting character details teased in dialogue, only for her character to be forgotten following a mid-season quarrel.
As we see the two leads’ lives in separate cities intercut (with some very inventive transitions), hopes are high for their love story at the beginning. However, with only a few foundational scenes of their college relationship to base our hopes on, the narrative lags in the middle. It feels like we haven’t been given enough to root for when the going gets tough… Thankfully, when the story begins to cry out for the main characters to check back in, they do so in the nick of time.
Accompanied by a fun and eclectic soundtrack, the show features some lovely cinematography with really striking use of natural lighting. An argument on an LA rooftop at dawn is a particular highlight, as shaky cam and uneven focus lend a frantic, desperate air to the couple’s row while the morning sun rises on their night of drug-fuelled passion.
With captivating performances from its leads, Play It by Ear is a sexy, sincere and visually arresting picture of the agony and ecstasy of long-distance love.
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