Five twenty-something uni-grads - peacemaker David (Will de Meo), insufferable philosopher-wannabe Pete (Jack Gordon, FISH TANK), crass Tom (Nathaniel Martello-White, RED TAILS), party girl Claire (Fiona Ryan, AIRBORNE), and glum Jay (Jayne Wisener, JANE EYRE) - face spiritual crises, death, failed and burgeoning relationships, and other forms of grief in the space of a week in writer/director Alex Barret's feature debut LIFE JUST IS. If this film were knowingly about the self-importance of youth - as seen from the inside - then its intentional pensive monotony would be easier to appreciate; but it's more of a forced chamber piece ala Bergman (Barrett cites Bergman and Dreyer - whose JEANNE D'ARC close-ups he seems to be trying to emulate with close-ups of actor Jack Gordon - among his influences, and the Bergman influence on the confined locations over the micro budget). It feels like a lengthy student film, and I say that in both positive and negative connotations. In positive terms, the framing and cutting is deliberate and parts of the script feel like screenwriting exercises (which at least suggests Barrett is interested in learning and trying to apply the basics before tossing them out the window and trying to revolutionize the form). In negative terms, his attempt to render the inner lives of his characters onscreen has resulted in some moody not-too-likeable characters (although they poke fun at Jay's "older" thirty-something boyfriend [Paul Nicholls, THE TRENCH] calling himself "Bobby" he's actually the most mature character in the film apart from Jay's sister [Gillian Wisener] and people who might see themselves one or all of the principal quartet are more likely to poke fun at them than admit they identify with them.