The tale of a young couple of whose collective mood manifests in the world around them, “Wishful Thinking” sounds quirky and cutesy on paper. However, the feature debut by Graham Parkes is something else entirely, merging a magical premise with a starkly realistic, anxiety-inducing relationship comedy-drama, buoyed by stellar lead performances and immensely impressive audio-visual control. It’s a blast of misery and euphoria bouncing off a filthy funhouse mirror, announcing the arrival of a director to watch.
Struggling musician Charlie (Lewis Pullman) and indie video game designer Julia (Maya Hawke) are out of sorts, and out of sync. Parkes symbolizes this through occasional split-screen shots of skylines slightly misaligned in color and angle; the film has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and all the forceful momentum too. The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm. We first meet…
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