Ms Willen seems to suffer from a narcissism that leads her to appear self conscious. Such a self involvement causes us to feel nothing but annoyance for this lady who wears hats and twirls around in nursing homes to indicate manic highs. The least she could do was to research the matter before playing a character allegedly being under the throes of mania. As it stands, Stef Willen merely comes across as mentally challenged woman who is so addled that she doesn't correct this boyfriend when he calls her EM. If my name was Amanda I'd sure as hell think that shortened it would lead to AM. If the name was Emily this oversight could be overlooked. Add in the gratuitous sex scenes and Willen's manly shoulders and you have a real lemon on your hands. It is no wonder that this was the last acting gig given to Willen.She should stick to short films such as Long Ago-- Christy Wegener's unsung masterpiece about a self conscious lesbian(played by Stef Willen) who has a rat tail and such.

The two characters in the film have a strong love for each other but they struggle with the shadow of mental illness. This film is very well written, usually it's hard to watch such a drama but it's balanced out with the good things in the couple's relationship and why they try so hard to make it work. This should be something everyone should see especially since most of us know someone living under these conditions. It's an honest shot of what that person encounters from day to day.The actors are also absolutely amazing - relatively unknown, though they have more talent than any I've ever watched.Must see.

I LOVED Em! And that is an understatement. I thought the writing was phenomenal, the acting, the story were so raw and real. When the film came to a close, I didn't want to leave my seat. I just wanted to know more about Josh and Em. I felt attached to them, like a mother watching her child leave for college, I wanted to hold onto them. Maybe I'm sounding a bit overboard, but rarely do I rave about films like this. The story took an original look at a dysfunctional, yet so "normal," relationship between ordinary people. And then there's the cinematography- loved it, too. There were scenes told almost wholly in close ups, the rack focuses between two characters in a conversation, the natural shots of the setting... I could go on but you should see it yourself.

This film is a true work of art! Predominately told with visuals it is as if you are watching a series of paintings unfold. There is a poetic minimalism to this film which is rarely seen in contemporary American cinema. "Em" is a subtle, honest and beautiful meditation on what it is like to love someone who is mentally ill. This is not your "look at my Oscar moment" type of mental illness but rather something that is deeply truthful. There is not one manipulative or false moment in this movie which is saying a lot given the subject matter. Everything about this film operates on a visual level and the acting is no exception. The two leads are unbelievable at using subtle facial expressions to convey pivotal character beats. These types of subtle performances can be easily overlooked but this is behavioral acting at its best! Almost immediately you can see the planning and artistry that went into this film. From each shot which is meticulously framed and lit to the color progression, right down to the effectively minimal score which is carefully placed. There is an incredible attention to detail in every aspect of this film. However, this is not a film for everyone as it assumes patience and sophistication on the part of the audience. Nothing is obvious or spelled out in fact we don't even know the two main characters names until about 20 minutes into the film. From frame one this film sets its own rules and strictly follows them making "Em" a unique and cohesive work of art!