In the bonus track of the DVD of "Here and Now" (aka, "Blue Night"), the director, Fabien Constant, describes his film as "dry." That is the perfect word choice for this slow-moving art film.

The conceit of the film is that of a woman who receives the devastating news of a terminal disease, and the narrative seeks to capture her response in a twenty-four-hour period, as she walks the streets of New York and listens to the mundane sounds of the city.

The protagonist Vivianne, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is an accomplished jazz singer, who interacts with strangers, friends, family, and fellow artists. But it is not until nearly the end of the film that she opens up to her ex-husband about her tragic situation. She gives a mundane interview to a reporter, meets an old chum played by a giddy and pregnant Renée Zellwegger, and, in one inexplicable moment, stands up her kind manager who is patiently waiting for her in a bar.

The filmmaking approach makes use of lengthy pauses and goes out of its way to capture spontaneous conversations by passersby on the streets of New York. The most intriguing "random" character met by Vivianne is a cab (or Lyft) driver. In their first encounter, the driver, Sami, is rude and disrespectful to his client to the degree that she makes him stop for her to get out of the vehicle. But in their later encounter, he has such empathy for her that he virtually becomes her support system in this crisis. While performed in earnest by the actor, it was difficult to believe that this was a real cabbie, especially in New York.

In listening to the interviews in the extras segment of the DVD, it was difficult not to admire the director, producers, and performers for their grit in completing this film in New York in a sixteen-day shoot. It was also clear that the film artists were dedicated to the seriousness of the project and the depth of feeling that was the intended goal to convey to audiences. Unfortunately, the objective of Vivianne "making peace" with her situation did not come across in the labored experience of her twenty-four hours bustling around New York. In a word, the experience of this film for the audience was summed up best by the director: "dry."

I'll watch anything SJP does in NYC and this meandering Continental style movie has interesting details if you give it a chance.

A jazz singer musician gets a diagnosis of brain tumor and goes around the city. Along the way she sings in a club has her younger lover, sees her daughter who lives with her ex meets a strange Lyft driver and lots more.

Different from her usual comedy drama roles she does stretch her usual type of performance.

Ok for one watch.

Vivienne Carala (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a singer in NYC. It's a day in her life. The movie starts with her receiving a brain tumor diagnosis. She has an important upcoming performance and a doctor's appointment the next day.

I like that Sarah Jessica Parker is trying to do something serious. I don't mind the faux realism. I just want the story to do something. I want her to do something. There is a coldness and dullness to everything. SJP needs to explode her performance but she's doing only one tone. She needs to bring some more energy despite the character's reticent to show it. There is plenty of firepower in the cast. I didn't even notice Renée Zellweger at first when she shows up. On the other hand, the Lyft driver is very manufactured. The writing needs to inject some drama and power. It could give her a ticking clock. Maybe she could make up a list of people to see. In the end, it's the filmmaker who fails most here. I don't know what the guy did other than simply point the camera and shoot. There are some extreme closeups but it's very straight forward. There is no energy and no power to the filmmaking. It just lays there.