The Big Picture

Chestnut
is a coming-of-age film that explores the period directly after college.
The film offers a refreshing take on love triangles by embracing queerness and ambiguity.
The chemistry between the three main actors is undeniable, making for an intriguing watch even when the plot can start to feel thin and cliché.

In 2018, Starz premiered a show called Sweetbitter about a young twenty-something named Tess (a pre-Fallout and YellowjacketsElla Purnell), who moved to New York and started working at a high-end restaurant. Between trying to learn a complex menu and navigate the unfamiliar city, Tess got involved in a complicated love triangle between two slightly older coworkers: a refined server named Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald) and a troubled bartender named Jake (Tom Sturridge). The show lasted only two seasons, and I’ve been mourning it ever since. Luckily, Chestnutwas able to help fill the Sweetbitter-sized hole in my heart, exploring similarly intoxicating (and toxic) dynamics.

Chestnut Run Time 1 hr 27 min Director Jac Cron Release Date June 21, 2024 Actors Natalia Dyer,Rachel Keller,Danny Ramirez,Chella Man

What Is ‘Chestnut’ About?

Chestnut revolves around Annie (Natalia Dyer), who has just graduated from college on the East Coast. She has a fancy finance job lined up in Los Angeles but a few months to kill before she’s actually set to start. She’s in no rush to get there, not particularly passionate about the industry she’s set to work in nor the city to which she’s set to move. She takes her time selling her furniture and hanging out with her college friend Jason (Chella Man), who’s not sure what his future holds.

One night while drinking alone at a bar, she catches the eye of a woman named Tyler (Rachel Keller), who’s there with her not-exactly-boyfriend-but-definitely-something Danny (Danny Ramirez). If you’ve ever seen the “we saw you from across the bar and we really dig your vibe” meme, that’s basically how this meeting unfolds. Over the course of the summer, Annie gets drawn into the couple’s orbit. Sometimes it seems like she’s the missing puzzle piece of the two’s relationship — that a throuple is in their future. Other times, she gravitates more toward Tyler’s bold, larger-than-life personality or clicks better with Danny’s softer, more sensitive demeanor. Tyler and Danny help Annie grow and figure out what she really wants — even if that growth and lesson can be painful and confusing.

‘Chestnut’ Offers a Compelling Love Triangle
Image via Utopia

Love triangles are a popular trope, especially in coming-of-age stories. From Twilight’s Team Edward vs. Team Jacob to Riverdale’s Barchie vs. Bughead, shipping wars have been around forever, becoming a staple of young adult content. When love triangles are poorly written, they can be particularly tedious. When they’re well-developed, however, love triangles can heighten the romantic stakes and tension.

Luckily, Chestnut falls into the latter camp, with all three members of the trio having undeniable chemistry with one another. There’s no obvious better partner between the couple that emerges, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. There’s a special history between Tyler and Danny. They have a past with each other, and there’s a sense of opposites-attract that’s evident from the get-go — a rare kind of balance and ease that just works.

Annie and Danny, on the other hand, have a lot in common. They’re both more reserved, finding joy and peace in the smaller, calmer moments of life. They can appreciate the little things, spending time simply sitting and talking without growing bored or drama emerging. Finally, Annie and Tyler bring out interesting aspects of each other. Tyler inspires Annie to take more risks, drawing out her sassier, more confident side, whereas Annie smooths out Tyler’s rough edges. Tyler’s not known for being a nice girl — she tells Annie as much, and Danny is skeptical when Annie proclaims that Tyler is one — but she seems to soften around Annie. And Annie sees something in Tyler that most people don’t, therefore strengthening their bond.

Chestnut also puts a refreshing spin on things by embracing both queerness and ambiguity. There’s been a call for messier queer representation lately — and for good reason. In the past, LGBTQ+ characters were either demonized or killed off, but lately, culture has seemed to course-correct to the extreme, over-sanitizing queer characters to be one-dimensional beacons of morality. Chestnut allows its characters, including its LGBTQ+ ones, to be deliciously flawed. Tyler can be selfish and harsh, while Danny can be unreliable and inconsiderate. Annie, too, can be flaky and struggle to communicate what she wants. The relationship between the three is complicated and undefined, their wants and motives not always clear to each other, to the audience, or even to themselves.

It feels authentic to what it’s like being Annie’s age and struggling to find yourself. While the story beats can start to get a bit redundant (the hot-and-cold of Tyler and will-they-won’t-they of all three of them is a bit frustrating), it rings true to life, and the three of them are compelling enough performers that they’re fun to watch even when the film is heavy on vibes — with beautifully-shot montages and gorgeous neon signs — and thinner on actual plot.

Annie reminisces about how doing poetry can be “cathartic and masochistic at the same time,” but one could argue that this dichotomy extends to her relationship with Tyler and Danny as well. While Dyer does an excellent job showing the pain that this dynamic can bring with all its uncertainty and mind games, it’s easy to see why she’s so drawn to it, too. Keller plays Tyler with an enigmaticness and magnetism that makes you want to watch and be close to her. She and Dyer have a biting, addictive banter that keeps you wanting more even though you know it will probably end badly for Annie. Ramirez, on the other hand, plays Danny with a swoony sweetness that’s equally enthralling.

‘Chestnut’ Features an Underrepresented Coming-of-Age Story
Image via Utopia

Coming-of-age stories are often restricted to characters in high school or protagonists who have recently made a big move to a college or big city. Chestnut hones in on a common but underrepresented time in life by examining that limbo stage directly after college. Annie is an adult and technically has been one for a few years now, but she’s had the structure of college classes and the social bubble that comes with that until this point. Without that, she’s lost and searching for meaning.

Dyer effortlessly walks the tightrope that is being on the cusp of full adulthood, with writer-director Jac Cron’s details setting her apart. From the first scene where she wears chipped, multi-colored nail polish to having a mental breakdown over attempting to move a heavy couch by herself, you feel like you know this girl — maybe have even been or still are this girl. Even when Annie makes impulsive or irresponsible decisions — like continuing to put off buying her plane tickets and asking for an extension on starting work to continue hanging out with Tyler and Danny — she’s easy to root for and understand.

But while the film immerses us in this age, there are moments when it falls into clichés or more grating, pretentious moments because of it. Annie’s poetry itself is rather vague and acts as a convenient plot device more than anything, with the passionate hobby vs. steady job conflict not particularly fleshed out. Ultimately, it falls flat and feels bland and overdone. Tyler’s declaration that LA “doesn’t have any good art” and arguments about a particular band don’t go anywhere, with the message Cron is trying to say about the nature of art and artistry muddled.

Tyler and Danny can both exude eye-roll-inducing “I’m not like other girls/boys” energy, with Tyler constantly insisting that she’s not a nice person and Danny going on a rant against celebrating birthdays since simply being born isn’t an accomplishment. We get breadcrumbs of their pasts — particularly Annie and Danny’s during one long conversation — that helps give them depth beyond their archetypes, but one can’t help but wish the reveals came a bit earlier and that there were more of them. While the sense of mystery surrounding Tyler and Danny usually works, it would be nice to go deeper during these moments of genuine connection.

This also goes for Annie’s dynamic with her dad. We so rarely get strong parental presences in films like this — and it’s even rarer that we get one that’s as supportive as Annie’s father — but Chestnut squanders the potential it sets up between the two. Annie reveals complexities about their relationship to Danny, but we don’t see it explored. It’s a missed opportunity keeping her father’s presence restricted to the phone and not seeing Annie have the needed conversation with him that she hints they might need.

Chestnut is an effective and enjoyable if rather simple and slight coming-of-age movie about a unique time in a person’s life that few filmmakers have chosen to focus on. The success of the film revolves around the love triangle between Annie, Tyler, and Danny, and luckily, all three actors have crackling chemistry, making for an intriguing watch. Cron’s leaning into the queerness of the dynamic as well as the messiness of being Annie’s age are both smart decisions, keeping the audience invested even when the plot gets cliché or repetitive.

REVIEW Chestnut ‘Chestnut’ features strong chemistry between its central trio that keeps things compelling even when the script falters.ProsNatalia Dyer, Rachel Keller, and Danny Ramirez have excellent chemistry, making for intriguing romance.Jac Cron smartly leans into the love triangle?s queerness and the messiness of being freshly out of college.The film tells a fresh and authentic coming-of-age story. ConsThe plot can feel thin and cliché at times.The dynamics can start to feel redundant, with similar story beats hit multiple times.

Chestnut is now available to stream on VOD in the U.S.

WATCH ON VOD