Lizzy and Ryan are involved in a thing. It's not 100% clear what it is at first, other than there's sex involved. This started as a Tindr hook-up, but became something... more. What unfolds throughout the film is an idea that these two are in a relationship, but only parts of each of them are. There are, as always, secrets and lies, and more importantly, there are heavy truths disguised as lies, and vice-versa. While it's clear they both really care for each other, it's also clear that there are layers to the two of them that are not present in the relationship between them. That, more than anything, comes out as the two confront a deadline. They slowly allow those portions of themselves come to the light, and that not only exposes them, but shows exactly why they have the relationship they have, In essence, they are having the perfect relationship for the parts of themselves they are allowing to see the light of day, but as whole people, as real people, beyond the Social Media people, people, they may be poisonous to one another.
The acting here is so tricky, but the writing, the wisdom shown in revealing the pieces slowly, in allowing each new character these two become along the way to come fully to form with adequate amounts of time, makes their job a little easier.
The fact that the entire film is more-or-less confined to a single house is tough, but it allows the setting to expand and contract. For a film that is so much about release, revelation, and getting away from it all, setting it in a single location (more or less) is so smart because what it does is forces the viewer to dig, to look for the kinks in the armor of the tank they're traveling in. The place is only an aspect of their relationship, but it is so very perfect in how it presents the issues.
Status Pending is the kind of movie you watch when you want to discover your characters, and maybe find out where you fall along their path.
The film is playing with Man With Beard, a phenomenal short I'll talk about later, and you can see it at Century 20 Redwood City Sat, Mar 3 5:10 PM, Century 20 Redwood City Mon, Mar 5 7:05 PM, Century 20 Redwood City Wed, Mar 7 2:45 PM, and Hammer Theatre SJ Sat, Mar 10 8:45 PM