Fingernails was such a baffling movie. It’s unsure of what it wanted to be at times and honestly was a chore to sit through at times. The cast commits to the film and deliver solid performances but it’s hard to overlook the numerous problems with this movie. I’m sure Christos Nikou had good intentions but it doesn’t show on screen. It’s a below average directorial debut that I will not be revisiting anytime soon.

The cast of this film is solid enough. Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed have fantastic chemistry and make for an entertaining duo. Jeremy Allen White isn’t given much to do and is serviceable enough it what should’ve been a better written role. Luke Wilson does what he does best and is a very nice addition to this cast. The supporting ensemble, who gave a very small amount of screen time, are very good and have their moments. Overall, no awards will be going out to this cast but they do a very good job nonetheless.

The script for this film is atrocious. The dialogue is so rough around the edges and has my theatre roaring with laughter at some of the lines. These characters are either written like 5 year olds or written to have no ethics or remorse for their actions. It, like many of the problematic films I’ve seen at TIFF ‘23, all suffer from the problem of reading like a first draft rather than the final draft.

Something else that bothered me is this movie’s identity. It doesn’t know what it wants to be or more specifically, when it takes place. At the Love Institution, see see only technology from the 1940’s-1980’s, we see the cars of Emma and Amir are on the older side, and only older music is played through the use of radio or record players. No cell phones or wireless headphones are in sight either. However, in Emma and Ryan’s home, we can see a TV that is clearly from the early 2000s. It might sound like a slight nitpick but I’m for me, this just feels like poor directing and carelessness.

Production issues aside, the tone of this movie is all over the place. It’s clearly meant to be a romantic film but it can also unintentionally turn into a comedy at times with its failed attempts at blending drama and romance.

Fingernails is a massive misfire. I respect Nikou for trying something fresh and new but it doesn’t work, at all. One of the worst movies of TIFF ‘23.