          |
The Phoenix
January 24, 2006
Three of Hearts: A postmodern family
Nicholas Rapold
Any given multiplex has at least one drama hinging on that age-old romantic quandary, the love triangle. This fascinating but elusive documentary presents a disorienting counter-spectacle: the three-way marital bliss of Sam, Steven, and Samantha. Drawing upon years of access, filmmaker Susan Kaplan fleshes out what developed when the men, already a couple, joined forces with recent college grad Samantha. (Or, as Sam remembers asking, “Wouldn’t it be great to bring a woman into the relationship?”) They’re all too proud to share their bustling lives with us: they bunk together, have a baby together, even run a wellness clinic together. But it’s a perfect storm of vulnerable personalities -- compulsive peacemaker Sam, attention-loving Samantha, passive Steven -- that seems too good to be true. With the trio rivetingly unreflective about their co-dependence, Kaplan’s nonjudgmental stance delivers more suspense than most fictional dramas.
3 STARS
