Film Review – Finding Emily (2026)

      Finding Emily, 2026.

      Directed by Alicia MacDonald.

      Starring Spike Fearn, Angourie Rice, Cora Kirk, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Sadie Soverall, Nadia Parkes, Jack Riddiford, Isabella Laughland, Minnie Driver, Kat Ronney, Timothy Innes, Yali Topol Margalith, Phil Wang.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A lovestruck musician receives the wrong phone number for his dream girl and enlists the help of a determined psychology student to locate her. Together, they create a hilarious frenzy across campus that challenges their own feelings and ambitions.

      Traditional romantic comedies often revolve around a whimsical meeting where one character (often a man in heterosexual relationships) engages in questionable behavior that is glossed over or excused due to his attractiveness or charisma. Directed by Alicia MacDonald and penned by Rachel Hirons, Finding Emily scrutinizes such controversial actions while keeping abreast of various perspectives within the current social context.

      By considering these differing viewpoints while humorously critiquing the extremes, the film delivers sharp observations alongside its comedic elements. It also explores how perceptions can change when superficial characteristics are revealed, such as realizing that someone deemed inappropriate is actually attractive. Surprisingly, the film critiques the excessive caution surrounding accusations of unsafe behavior made with minimal knowledge.

      Spike Fearn plays Owen, a genuinely sweet and hopeless romantic who believes that a clumsy encounter with the fairy-costumed Emily (Sadie Soverall), a whimsical beauty who captivates him, marks a significant moment. Unfortunately, she is in a hurry, but not before she inputs her number in his phone. The issue arises when Owen calls her the next day to prove to his brother Matt (Jack Riddiford) and his partner Freya (Isabella Laughland) that there's a real connection—he discovers a missing digit. To address the obvious concern (and something I also contemplated), yes, Owen could try to deduce the missing number, but there's no certainty that it was the last digit that was omitted; its position could vary, resulting in multiple possible combinations. While it might not be the most airtight premise, it suffices to engage the audience.

      Thus begins a quest across a Manchester campus where Owen works as a sound engineer, seeking this Emily, asking people publicly and often making a fool of himself in the process. Naturally, he hears suggestions that she may have purposely forgotten a digit, indicating he misread the vibe of their conversation. While this is a reasonable assertion, it feels unlikely given what we've observed. Still, it does lead us to reevaluate those initial moments; there’s certainly some endearing awkwardness, but perhaps also a lack of chemistry.

      Among the various Emilys he meets is Angourie Rice’s Emily Raine, a psychology graduate student who is crafting a thesis arguing that romance is an antiquated concept that has outlived its purpose, and that love is merely a path to self-destruction. Ethics aside, she perceives Owen as the ideal subject to validate her thesis, befriending him and actively aiding him in his unusual quest to reconnect with a girl he barely knows and isn’t sure wants to see him again. He is filled with hope, dreams, and good intentions, though.

      As it becomes evident that Emily was once a romantic but harbors bitterness from a relationship that didn’t meet her expectations, her motivations gain complexity. Their journey is rich with clever examinations of both characters’ behaviors, portraying them as flawed yet lovable. Owen is a neurotic romantic and aspiring musician (Spike Fearn effectively embodies this aspect of his character, convincingly performing his occasional songs and guitar segments), while Emily grapples with her jaded perspective, gradually forming a bond with her test subject.

      Meanwhile, part of Emily seems amused by Owen's potential downfall, at one point giving him the opportunity to sabotage himself by providing the email addresses of every Emily at the school. He mistakenly sends a mass email to all of them, abruptly turning into an anonymous oddball (all depicted in a creatively staged sequence where Owen interacts with hallucinations of the various Emilys). He subsequently appears on a school podcast in an attempt to clear the negative stigma surrounding his romantic pursuit. The humor in the script, along with the shifting reactions from fellow students, creates a chaotic yet amusing atmosphere throughout. Emily is aware that this project might be her best chance to succeed as a transfer student and secure a work visa.

      However, one drawback is the presence of an excessive number of supporting characters, typically engaged in their own relationships, meant to either aid or ground our leads. Unfortunately, these characters and their storylines often fail to resonate. Fortunately, the undeniable chemistry between Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice, set against an engaging premise, provides ample opportunities for laughter and emotional resonance, complemented by a musical backdrop that gives Alicia MacDonald’s film a John Carney-esque