Trying

Eight years after a cinematic meet-cute sparked a passionate romance, Liv and Felix’s marriage begins to crack under the strain of trying (and failing) to procreate in Phillips’s mixed if bittersweet debut. The couple moved to the London suburbs with their two cats, assuming that a baby was just around the corner. A year and a half later, their friends have had their own child and are at work on the second, but Liv and Felix are trapped in a monotonous routine of dull sex and monthly disappointment. The perfect life Liv had always imagined now appears unattainable as she struggles to balance her absent husband, her overbearing mother, her demanding job, and her sexy new boss. On top of it all, Liv finds time to meet with doctors, fertility specialists, and even an acupuncturist, though eventually her resolve starts to flag. Ultimately, she must decide how she really feels about a baby and her marriage, and their potential for making her happy. Cluttering the narrative are screenshots of iPhone notes, lengthy email and text conversations, and interviews for a film Liv’s making that never materialize into anything. The attempts at comedy don’t always land, often coming across as more sad than funny. Still, Liv’s voice is refreshing and her character believably flawed, which compensates for the story’s less successful elements. Agent: Imogen Pelham, Marjacq. (Dec.)