Movie review: ‘In Stereo’

At first, In Stereo feels like it’s just going to be another New York-set indie about men and women falling in and out of fractured relationships — all set to a hipster’s version of a ’70s soul soundtrack. Move along, nothing new to see here.

But Texas-born director/writer Mel Rodriguez III, making his feature-film debut, upends expectations with a surprisingly engrossing look at two people who stumble their way toward one another. With strong performances from Beau Garrett and especially the beguilingly abrasive Micah Hauptman, In Stereo digs beneath the indie surface to find something real.

Initially, Brenda (Garrett) and David (Hauptman) anchor two separate story threads. David is in a convenient but loveless relationship with younger Jennifer (Melissa Bolona). Things turn especially sour when he finds out she’s having a fling with his best friend (Kieran Campion).

Meanwhile, Brenda is a once popular actress who is finding that the fall down the ladder of success can be a rough one. On top of that, she’s being put out of her sublet apartment at the end of the month and she needs to tell the guy she’s with that she’s just not that into him.

David and Brenda used to be a thing … until they weren’t. But maybe they should have been all along.

Rodriguez explores this gray area where disillusionment meets destiny with smarts and heart. And that’s when In Stereo comes in loud and clear.

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This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 6:25 AM with the headline "Movie review: ‘In Stereo’."