Joey King tugs on all of our heartstrings in "The In Between."
She stars as Tessa, a talented teen who spends all her time by herself at a vintage cinema
and lurking around the wilderness in search of some perfect photographs.
Tessa grew up as a foster child, and has spent her life keeping people at arm's length.
But everything changes once she meets Kyle Allen's Skylar, a handsome, kind, and highly
intriguing young man who shares her love of old films and has a bundle of his own talents.
Throughout the film, King's performance is truly transcendent, and she also reminds us
why she's still the reigning queen of on-screen kisses.
One of the most charming things about the central couple in "The In Between" is that
they're both flawed in some truly beautiful ways.
Tessa has a hard time lowering her emotional shield and letting people in, choosing to
speak through her photographs, yet also refusing to share them.
Meanwhile, Skylar struggles with indecision and guilt over his family's personal struggles
and has trouble letting go.
He's also…not great at playing the harmonica.
The two often spend time together in settings that aren't the usual idyllic locales.
Yet these spots in their small town of Avalon somehow become picturesque as soon as these
adorable love birds show up.
There's the ultra-windy night at the beach and the emptied-out movie theater where they
first meet, where Skylar serves as a human subtitler for the French-language film "Betty
Blue."
In both places, there's a unique quietude and bygone-era feel to the settings that naturally
put Tessa and Skylar at the center of the entire world, making their connection even
more profound and captivating.
The two bond over the notion that the greatest romance stories of all time ultimately have
unhappy endings, and right from the start of their story, we know they're already barreling
towards a tragedy of their own.
The beauty of their tale, though, is in focusing on the journey rather than the destination.
Tessa and Skylar's journey eventually takes them to the setting of the screen kiss that
still has us swooning, even though it's one of the most unexpected settings for a romantic
moment: an abandoned, creepy hotel that's somehow majestic and truly alive when the
two of them explore the place together.
Yes, the Empyrean was once a hotspot for honeymooners, but its glory days are far in the past.
"Empyrean.
That's where Dante meets God, right?"
"Highest of all heavens.
Place of pure love.
Look at it.
If that's not a metaphor for love, I don't know what is."
That is, until Tessa and Skylar decide to explore it.
Tessa has already braved the rundown hotel alone to take some photos, but seeing it again
with Skylar magically revives the romance that's been missing from the place for so
long.
From the second they step foot onto the Empyrean's fenced-in grounds, the mood changes from more-than-friendly
interest and flirtation to one of deep, joyous connection.
From their pantomimed tennis match on the grass-strewn court to Skylar plucking a flower
for Tessa from the vibrant overgrowth in the lobby to him teaching her to waltz in what
was perhaps once a lavish ballroom, this is an adventure like no other for the budding
lovers.
When Tessa and Skylar scale the parallel staircases at the Empyrean, soaking each other in from
a slight distance as they head toward the suites above, it's clear that something real
is blossoming between them.
Tessa makes the moment even more extraordinary and personal by showing Skylar a lovely little
installation she's made to replicate the view of a camera lens, which is the first time
she's shared a piece of her artwork with almost anyone outside of class.
The two eventually find themselves relaxing together in a heart-shaped hot tub, surrounded
by peeling wallpaper and cracked walls, topped with a cheesy overheard mirror.
Naturally, they embrace the eeriness of the scenery.
"Can you hear them?"
"Hear who?"
"The ghosts of newlyweds past."
Though this exchange first begins with some of that signature humor and impressions that
have made Joey King such a mainstay of romantic comedies including "The Kissing Booth" series,
the tone takes a more tender turn when her impression shifts from the imagined groom
to the bride.
"Well, the bride is saying, 'But, you haven't even kissed me yet.'"
She might still be in character, but there's an ulterior meaning to her choice of dialogue.
Tessa is also inviting the real Skylar to fulfill that request in real time, and he
obliges in an instant, resulting in a heart-swelling first kiss that we won't soon forget.
There are plenty of other smooches that make us melt throughout "The In Between," including
a trip to vintage Paris.
But it's this first kiss, which brings life and love to a space that's otherwise filled
with decay, that signifies why these two characters are so impossible to forget.
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