Written and directed by Melissa Finell, SENSITIVITY TRAINING is one of the few films I’ve seen over the years at Los Angeles Film Festival which had me laughing so hard at the hard-ass, crude, rude, calls-it-like-she-sees-it protagonist, that I was rolling with side splitting laughter. (And yes, I admittedly felt a kinship with her.)
Years ago, such a character as microbiologist Dr. Serena Wolfe would have been seen as laugh-out-loud inappropriately funny, but in today’s need for society to be politically and socially correct, folks like our heroine Serena are forced to undergo “sensitivity training” in the workplace lest anyone be further offended by their actions. Writer/Director Finell takes full advantage of this now forced-upon-us societal policy, mining it not only for the humor, but the heartfelt emotional sensitivity of the individuals involved.
When a lauded colleague dies, Dr. Wolfe is allegedly blamed because of some abrasive comments she made towards the decedent which may have contributed to her demise, and is thus ordered to undergo sensitivity training. Enter multi-hyphenate Ph.D., sensitivity training coach, the perpetually perky Caroline. Stuck like glue to Serena, it is Caroline’s job to break through Serena’s defenses and make her see the error of her ways. If she fails, Serena loses her job. And of course, with the perpetually perky one, failure could cause her to become very sad. Adding to the mix are Serena’s colleagues and interns, as well as the appearance of her half-brother. And how about a turtle named Fleming?
Finell’s metaphoric thematics relating to the idea of “resistance”, be it Serena or the ultra-resistant bacteria she’s trying to kill, are on point and nuanced. Cinematographer Paul Cannon’s lensing is simple and light, serving as a nice balance to the complexities of Serena, relationships at play, and even the bacteria Serena is trying to kill. Populating the story with pop culture references (like Quidditch), not to mention reactionary comments to famous films, the endings of which Serena has never seen due to being thrown out theatres for talking, just adds more layers that fuel the funny.
It’s hard to say who’s the bigger scene stealer and laugh getter in SENSITIVITY TRAINING. Is it Anna Lise Phillips as Serena or Jill Alexander as Caroline? Both are hilarious and just feed off each other the way Serena’s bacteria feeds on plates of agar. Finnegan Haid is a welcome addition as half-brother Ethan and it’s always a treat to see Amy Madigan and Charles Haid pop up, here as Serena’s parents, while Quinn Marcus does more than an admirable job of demonstrating her Quidditch skills and deadpan comedic timing as Serena’s fellow microbiologist Ellen.
It doesn’t get much funnier or much better than SENSITIVITY TRAINING.
Written and Directed by Melissa Finell.
Cast: Anna Lise Phillips, Jill Alexander, Finnegan Haid, Quinn Marcus, Amy Vorpahl
Los Angeles Film Festival review – June 1, 2016
