The idea of a non-linear narrative to tell the story of a relationship isn’t new, being used by Harold Pinter for his stage play Betrayal, first staged in 1978 and then filmed in 1983, the brutally heart-rending Blue Valentine (2010), or most notoriously Gaspar Noé’s truly horrifying Irreversible (’02), which works backwards from unflinching scenes of truly disturbing violence to the heady, precious first days of a union, and for his micro-budgeted directorial debut, director Tom Cullen, also known as an actor in such films as the award-winning Weekend (’11), Cullen winning a British Independent Film Award as Most Promising Newcomer for his performance, and the non-award-winning The Last Days On Mars (’13), and who here plays a friend of the central couple, uses much the same technique, but hops around within the time frame rather then just going from the end to the beginning, the film beginning four years in to the relationship between Jenna (Tatiana Maslany - Destroyer / TV’s Orphan Black) and Leon (actor and filmmaker Jay Duplass - The Puffy Chair / Cyrus). The audience sees them having a tense and awkward lunch together before going to when these two first met, viewers knowing that things are not going to be going swimmingly all the time.

Broken into six scenes spread over six years, moving backwards and forwards in time, Cullen’s script starts at an awkward dinner party with family and friends in the fourth year, before cutting to their initial meeting at art college (year one), then going to years five, three, two and then to the sixth year, where it seems that their relationship may have finally reached a pivotal and decisive point. Some reviews said that at times Cullen’s film reminded one of Weekend, directed by Andrew Haigh, in its intensity and exploration of the feelings and motivations between a couple, and although Weekend dealt with a gay couple and was set over three days they are very definite comparisons, although it isn’t entirely fair to say Cullen’s uses Haigh’s film as a rough guide.

One sees the couple fall out, make up and fall into a routine, before the next upheaval where one has to work out once again what the position is, and some critics noted that, while both leads gave strong performances, there is always the feeling that despite being together for six years, and surviving some fierce arguments, they never seem to be totally compatible, the film working towards a inevitability, and Cullen’s use of a changing aspect ratio, from a boxy 4:3 for the early days to widescreen for later years, also caused comment.

Made on what the production notes admit to be a micro-budget, the strength lies in the performances, the Canadian-born Maslany and the American Duplass making a believable couple, although some may wonder just how they get as far as they do, Jenna at times coming over as an unbearable and often thoughtless egotist, determined to get her own way at all times, which fits in with Leon’s relaxed attitude, seemingly happy to let her run the relationship, although his affability turns into a form of supine surrender at every turn, being unwilling or perhaps unable to say anything in his own defence.

An excellent calling card for Cullen’s talent behind the camera, and one which may be the most acutely felt by those in long-term relationships, one hopes he has a few more bob in the budget next time around, but adding a rather uncomfortable edge to the film, Cullen and Maslany had been in a long-term relationship since 2011 but broke up after filming, which is rather sad.