Alex Dobrenko and Federica Rangel in Quaker Oaths (2016)
Written and Directed by Louisiana Kreutz
Starring: Alex Dobrenko, Fede Rangel, Kathy Rose Center, Juli Erickson, Grant James
Marriage is a sacred institution between two people, who intend to honor and cherish each other, until death do them part. In “Quaker Oaths,” that marriage is bound by a sacred Quaker tradition where the community, in this case the wedding attendees also must show support for the newly married couple by signing a wedding contract.
Making an appearance at the 2017 Phoenix Film Festival, “Quaker Oaths” examines the tradition of undoing that tradition and a marriage as the not-so-happy couple, Joe (Alex Dobrenko) and Emily (Fede Rangel) seek a divorce.
Writer-Director Louisiana Kreutz strikes the right blend of humor in defining who Joe and Emily are as individuals. For Emily, her nerves get the best of her, even on her wedding day. Rangel expresses this with a quick, clipped motion while hiccupping and coughing. Joe is an absolute rock for Emily, getting her to finally calm down, right before their big moment. Once she is calm, Joe off-handedly jokes about the situation, reassuring Emily that everything will be alright.
This was a perfect way to start the film. We see Joe and Emily at their best with Dobrenko and Rangel finding the right pitch of assuredness in each other’s arms. By building out the “happily ever after” part of the wedding, it allows Kreutz and the audience to learn what makes our characters tick.
Joe is a teacher and we find him awkwardly trying to explain a math problem to his class of five-year-old’s when he is summoned to the principal’s office. What Kreutz shares with us is a defeated and broken man. Dobrenko strikes a balance between someone who is not exactly willing to share his emotions, while at the same time being able to stand up for himself. Dobrenko has that affable quality about him that you find pleasant to watch on the screen.
Emily, in the meantime, has found a new love, Mikey (Pete Dahlberg), a loveable goofball whose free-spirited nature drew Emily in and now they want to get married. Before they can do that though Quaker tradition gets in the way, forcing Joe and Emily to undertake one more adventure as a couple: to get each guest who signed their wedding certificate to cross their names off as a sign that they support the divorce.
Set in Texas, “Quaker Oaths” makes good use of the state’s vastness as Joe and Emily crisscross the state, visiting each of their former guests and family members in the hopes that they will support the divorce. By putting both of our characters in a car for a road trip, Kreutz finds a way to rekindle the best halves of the union, but not before Mikey catches up with them making the road trip that much more interesting.
Life lessons in check, “Quaker Oaths” reminds us to cherish the best parts of each other and to nurture each other, bringing out the more challenging aspects of a relationship: trust, communication, and the importance of community. Humor is what drives the heart of the film, but none of it works without the zany characters we encounter and the adventure that Joe and Emily undertake, to find each other.
3 out of 4 stars
