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You Hurt My Feelings – 2011 LAFF

By Noelle Buffam · June 23, 2011

Set amidst the ever-changing seasons of Connecticut, You Hurt My Feelings is the new drama-comedy by director, Steve Collins. The film follows, John (John Merriman), a melancholy nanny who tries to win back the affections of his former lover, Courtney (Courtney Davis). Things are further complicated when John discovers that Courtney is dating Macon (Macon Blair). The three enter into a love triangle that is simultaneously laughable, heartwarming, and down-right depressing.

When making You Hurt My Feelings, director Steve Collins wanted to make a film that juxtaposed internal struggle with incredible beauty, and that he did.

John's personal struggle with his mundane life is almost painful to watch. He lulls around, existing in a fog of depression that encases the not only himself, but the audience as well. However, his pain is set against the beauty and utter joy of children. Lilly and Violet (played by Collins' own two daughters) exist with John, as he is their regular nanny. To say the two little girls steal the show is an understatement. Anyone who has ever wondered how 3-year-olds can talk so much, tried to give a newborn a bath, or inadvertently lost a little one's shoe, will be laughing out loud throughout the film.

Perhaps the best thing about You Hurt My Feelings is the intimate look into the charming, almost magical, existence of children… an angle that is rarely captured outside of family home videos.

And speaking of family, the cast readily admits to feeling like one. Having worked together before, the film and acting feels authentic and natural. The film was loosely scripted, though heavily outlined, allowing for flawless delivery from the actors (even the toddler ones). Whatever the film lacks in action, it makes up for it in tenderness, beautiful cinematography, and relate-able characters.

You Hurt My Feelings is a fantastic look into how something as simple as a child, can pull an individual out of even the deepest internal struggle.