sol- Two work colleagues share an awkward first date in the woman's high rise apartment in this unusual film written and directed by and starring Tom Noonan. The movie is based on a stage play that Noonan wrote and he turns it into a very cinematic experience with lots of mobile camera-work early on and some unsettling cutaway shots later on as lead actress Karen Sillas reads a ghoulish children's tale. The juice of the film comes from the constant sense of uneasiness in the air and a general sense of something sinister afoot. Both characters have moments in which they seem borderline psychotic and it gradually becomes clear that they are not as good friends as they thought they were when together in the workplace -- which may be the very point of the film. Promising as all this might sound, the film never quite capitalises on its implications of sinister things out there. Noonan's constant glances out the window (and the voyeuristic shots that look back at him) create a particularly ominous mood in the story-reading scene, but this mood shatters once the story is over. Other offbeat touches, like a fluorescent light flickering as Noonan enters the apartment, also add little to the tale. If not a wholly satisfying film, 'What Happened Was...' is at least daringly different and it is incredibly encapsulating for a film that essentially just consists of two people talking. Both characters are extremely easy to relate to, and some of the more subtle directing touches (silences; repeated dialogue) go a long way to rendering both of them as very human despite their individual quirks.

Michael Mendez So that is how it ends? I love it. I just watched What Happened Was… so that I can dwell more into the icy depths of lonelinesm. Tom Noonan is a "G" for writing this. I believe it was first adapted into a play and then later turned into a feature film. I like it so much because it is so different and so simple, yet complex in a very disturbing sort of way. The relationship between the couple on their so called "date" is so awkward that even the audience is lost in a trance. I LIKE THAT FEELING. It is neither a good, nor bad feeling, but it is LIVING and a psychological game we as humans play with one another that always has the same rules/outcome. Always; You hide. You hide who you are and what you do to PROTECT this person from figuring out who you really are. Which is a boring, unmotivated vessel. Their is a scene towards the end when, after Tom Noonan pours his heart out and says how pathetic he is, our main actress, Karen Sillas' character, mentions:"It's funny, you know? You finally GROW UP. You know, you finally figure out who the hell you are. And just when you got something interesting to give, they're not interested anymore."See now these are one of those lines that make me filled with utter jealousy when I hear them, and say to myself, "why didn't I think of that?!" "It has been right in front of me the whole time but I've just been too stupid to figure it out!" I believe strongly that what she is saying is true "you know?" It is saying (in my opinion), that you do not know what you got till it is gone. A little bit of that, mixed with the lonesomeness of not fitting-in in with the world. You wait so long for something to come. Something to make it all right. And when it finally does, then you realize that you actually are useless and won't receive anything from anyone until you go out and get it yourself. - One has to make their own self worth something, even if it takes pretending (which, I know, I shouldn't be the one talking since I cannot even pretend myself). - Misery; And doing things wrong is good. It's alright! You think you are digging yourself deeper in a hole, when actually you are building yourself higher than most individuals. It is not a piece of cake, let me tell you that, my friend. It is a disease and a curse. What is that QUOTE? "Curiosity killed the cat." Well, I was a curious-George myself, and, even though I am learning to accept my depression, I had to go through a lot of unnecessary pain. And the worst part is that from this curiosity, I am going to have to deal with this hurt for the rest of my life. It is going to affect my children, and their children. It is going to mess with my siblings relations and my parents' reputation. Yes, and I have to deal with it. Everyday.I gave this beautiful film a 5/5 and wish to hear more from Tom Noonan in the future.-- Michael Mendez

Charles Herold (cherold) I have kind of mixed feelings about this one. It's pretty well done and I appreciate the way the characters are drawn in increasing complexity. But I sometimes felt restless and I just couldn't see why this rather sexy woman would ask Noonan out on a date, since while she would talk about how he was funny at work he failed to be funny in her apartment. Sillas was extremely good, with terrific body language that let you know what was going on as the mood changed from moment to moment.

MeYesMe I've been in some pretty uncomfortable situations. There was one time I wanted to escape my present company so desperately that I pretended my water broke (amazing they bought it, as I was only five months pregnant). But nothing compares to the painful evening the couple in this film endure. It's almost voyeuristic as we observe, in real time, the lulls in conversation, forced laughter, and embarrassing confessions of these two losers.Two things that are praiseworthy: (1) Tom Noonan, who plays Michael (and is also the writer/director) is completely believable in his role, and (2) the movie's pretty short.One more thing - I've seen, read, and dreamt a whole lotta of scary things in my life, but apparently I'm a nightmare lightweight compared to the stuff going on in Noonan's mind. The segment where Jackie reads her "children's story" aloud is, quite possibly, the most disturbing sequence on film.