Oh, to be a fly on the wall during the writing process that sparked Katie Aselton‘s fourth directorial effort, “Magic Hour.” Written alongside her real-life husband (and fellow filmmaker) Mark Duplass, Aselton has made it clear in press materials that the film, about a loving if troubled married couple (played by Aselton and Daveed Diggs) isn’t explicitly about her actual marriage. But it’s also not not about her and Duplass’ long-running relationship. Still, once you see where Aselton and Duplass’ script takes their characters, the differentiation becomes easier to swallow, if not all the more intriguing.
No spoilers here, but suffice it to say, it’s thrilling to wonder at what point in their chatting Aselton and Duplass landed on the spine of the story, one that also serves as a very big twist and an ambitious swing. And, yes, this twist does come early in the film, a smart choice by its writers that allows Aselton to move forward, and quickly, into other dimensions. Eagle-eyed audiences will likely spot it just before Aselton reveals her little magic trick, but that doesn’t dilute its power. Oh, it’s that kind of film, viewers might think. Well, let’s see where it goes.
Where it goes? Somewhat bumpy, but refreshingly honest and very much a return to the kind of filmmaking that kickstarted Aselton’s own directing career, back in 2010 with “The Freebie,” another movie about the intricacies and intimacies of marriage, this one starring Aselton and a never-better Dax Shepard. In the intervening years, Aselton has tried her hand at other genres: 2012’s “Black Rock” is a thriller set on a remote island, while 2022’s “Mack & Rita” is a body-swap comedy starring the iconic Diane Keaton.
Aselton’s intent to return to more personal filmmaking is also noted in those same press materials, and “Magic Hour,” mostly set in a single location in Joshua Tree, California and primarily focused on Aselton and Diggs’ characters, fits that bill, if broadly. But, in other ways, it’s the biggest swing she’s taken yet, and while that often means (seemingly) shrill interactions and (knowingly) broad emotions, there’s also a deep satisfaction to be found in the core of honesty that inspired such risk-taking.
We first meet Aselton’s Erin and Diggs’ Charlie by way of old home video: Erin is trying to cajole Charlie, forever terrified of heights, to ride a ferris wheel. Their interactions are sweet, lived-in, flirty, and warm. In short: they’re a nice couple. In the present, the duo have decamped to a friend’s (Brad Garrett) chic desert retreat, ostensibly to recover from some nebulous tragedy. Other old videos let us into a fertility struggle, and Erin sure seems mad at Charlie for whatever happened. Aselton doesn’t hold out on us for too long, and by the end of the film’s first act, she’s let loose, both as a performer (Erin is all big emotions) and a filmmaker.
Early on in their trip, Erin muses that she and Charlie could just stay in the desert, “get weird,” do something new, and “Magic Hour” as a whole occasionally takes that idea and runs with it, getting trippy in doses, going broad with somewhat startling regularity, and essentially letting itself be as messy as grief itself. Not every swing lands (Erin gets a massage that turns into something else entirely, and questions of consent swirl, seemingly unnoticed), but its unpredictability (like a tender interaction with a group of local drag queens, led by Shangela) feels much more feature than bug. Anything can happen with a broken heart, after all.
It also looks just gorgeous, thanks to cinematography from Sarah Whelden, which never skimps on the dusk from which it takes its title, but also finds warmth in mornings, late nights, and cozy interiors. Mostly, it feels safe and welcoming, the exact sort of space in which someone would want to work out their biggest problems and face down their worst tragedies. We could all stand for more of that.
Grade: B
“Magic Hour” premiered at the 2025 SXSW Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
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