This is a drama set at a conference for “thought leaders,” called “The Way We Speak” in which its cameras zoom into a few individuals who are entering an intellectual arena of combat that is accompanied by personal difficulties that are capable of breaking down them. There is no weak link in the acting. It is even more surprising that most of the key people except the lead are not big names yet they perform like stars (or consistent character actors with known roles) despite being unknown.
Faith versus Reason is at stake: In this play, Simon Harrington (Patrick Fabian from “Better Call Saul”) is the central protagonist. Simon, now middle-aged, has just started to publish his long-atrophied works again. During three consecutive days he will argue with another rationalist who also happens to be his close friend and fellow writer George Rossi (Ricco DiStefano). When Rossi steps down due to ill health, Simon finds himself pitted against a late substitute Sarah Clawson (Kailey Rhodes), a young Christian essayist whose latest book has sold over one million copies.
Behind curtains, Claire his wife relates to him unsteadily sometimes and very hotly at other times (Diana Coconubo—the toughest role in this cast). She’s famous medical researcher who has been receiving cancer treatment for years but still supports her husband as she struggles with her own body failing her and fearing for her mortality every day. Already unpleasant and an alcoholic, Simon begins snapping under pressure related to his sick friend sick wife and aspirations about work. By now he no longer perceives only Sarah as an adversary; instead, he looks upon her as his foe creating bad blood among others causing tension throughout the conference.
The feature debut of Ian Ebright, who also directed it, “The Way We Speak,” has already been said to be similar in many ways to Aaron Sorkin’s work. The reason for this is that almost every character in the story is amazingly eloquent, if not theatrical at times. Furthermore, the movie’s structure, look and feel bear a considerable similarity to that of an underappreciated film called Steve Jobs by Sorkin and Boyle about three product launches.
It appears that this movie has many qualities characteristic of a Sorkin joint; it provides quick-witted banter and profound understanding into relationships among smart, successful and ambitious individuals. However, it also has its deficiencies such as overconfidence when it comes to articulating major themes and grandiose ideas that are assumed to be trademarks of Important Drama.
It is so elementary that one wonders how an institute described as a place where the brightest minds assemble can even mention Simon and Sarah’s on-stage confrontations. These debates don’t go much deeper than introductory class dialogues. One self-satisfied question from Simon (who offers plenty more) actually becomes like a punch below the belt: “How can you justify a righteous deity that allows so much suffering to play out without direct intervention?” For shooting faith/reason dialectics effectively within cinema we better off with Ingmar Bergman or Terrence Malick than this The Way We Speak film.
Maybe those people standing behind those lecterns aren’t really as deep as they think? That is another way to look at it. But maybe all that happens onstage between accomplished ego-driven individuals trapped under bright lights with personal problems intensifying until something gives relates only tenuously or symbolically—and this is what Sarah seems obsessed with (even though her own life involves certain issues pretty similar to Simon’s).
In this story, Claire is the most sympathetic character and it is her whom Simon lives with as his wife. It becomes clear later on that for a very long time, he has been in her shade (he believes that he has been helping her emotionally though not financially). He is also resentful—he really ought to have known better—of his wife’s cancer which prevented him from becoming a world famous writer after putting off this ambition for years. The ”The Way We Speak” film is at its best when it punctures Simon like a balloon. After dinner Claire goes away early and recruits one of the waiters to babysit him until he can go home. Simon asks his keeper, “Do you know what futurism means? I am sort of famous for it.” “Yeah,” replies the waiter politely.
Also, Read On Fmovies