Marshall and the Movies

Maren Ade’s “Everyone Else” begins most resembling Richard Linklater’s “Before” series as it chronicles the conversations between young lovers Gitti (Birgit Minichmayr) and Chris (Lars Eidinger). They squabble and connect over small things, but these minor chats reveal grander insights into their relationship through naturalistic scrutinization.

Then, its second act feels more like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” As Gitti and Chris venture outside themselves, they rendezvous with Hans and Sana, a couple who could be them had more lucky breaks gone their way. Hans has found real success, where Hans mostly just dreams about success. Their uncomfortable dinner and houseguest interactions rip the band-aid off of open sores in their relationship, unleashing some captivating drama.

As for its concluding portions … well, Ade has something much more singular in store. She breaks in favor of an obtuse European art-house style, which is not exactly congruous with the rest of her film. It’s there in bits and pieces, but she goes all-out by the close. Perhaps another viewing, more attuned to the nuances of her observations and less focused on the will-they-or-won’t-they of the relationship, would yield more insight into the stylistic break. Yet even the perceived unevenness aside, “Everyone Else” still finds meaningful moments from start to finish. B /