“What a Feeling” is a heartwarming and unique lesbian romantic comedy

Most romantic comedies for many years have mainly featured straight couples. Lately, though, more and more films in this beloved genre have been showing stories of different orientations. It is also impressive to note that back in 2022, Bros, a romantic comedy that follows two men, was given a wide release across America.

There is a growing hunger for more romantic comedies to show different kinds of love as opposed to just heterosexual ones. What a Feeling is a new one from Austria that features a lesbian couple with the two lead roles being middle-aged characters. This is a fresh twist on a genre that has seen so many entries that feel similar.

Fa is a woman of Persian heritage who has a more conservative mom. She is out to a few people, but not everyone in her life. Marie is a mother who has recently divorced from a long-term marriage to a man. The two cross paths one night and some sparks begin to fly. The two then start a romance together but have to learn how to navigate through some of the complicated baggage they both bring to the relationship.

It was impressive to see how the story tackles a few themes that have not been explored much in film before. Seeing how Marie and her ex-husband Alexander see the world in different ways, which led to their divorce, was interesting.

They both have different perspectives on work-life balance. Marie is a doctor and is way more driven and finds great value in work. While Alexander recently spent some time in nature, which leads him to be tired of the hustle culture. This leads to some intriguing subject matter for the audience to think about.

A fun aspect of the story would be Marie’s gay co-worker and friend, Tom. He had such a fun energy about him that allowed Marie to start feeling more comfortable in her sexuality. One of the conversations they had about embracing your gayness was memorable. The film also does a good job of showing the challenges that can come with lesbian love. Fa and Marie’s relationship felt grounded and while there were lots of beautiful romantic moments, it also showed the struggles that come with different mother-daughter relationships while being part of the community.

For a few moments, some of the dialogue was a bit predictable. That is the only negative though, and this is not too big of a distraction. Maybe the script could have used a little more work. However, What a Feeling overall is a well-done romantic comedy.

There are some fresh modern twists that have not been put into other films that make it stand out. Fa has a personality that brings out the best in Marie. The characters each have in the film shows a unique flair. There is some great humor and a lot of deep emotion too.

4/5 stars

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