Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family

Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family is a compelling 2004 film that fearlessly traverses the fine boundaries of conventional relationships. A compelling mix of romance, drama, and real-life documentary, this movie offers a bold view into the intricate dynamics of a non-traditional family, offering a thought-provoking exploration of love, relationships, and societal norms.

Centered around Sam Cagnina, Steven Margolin, and Samantha Singh, the film takes us on a journey through their lives as they break the norms and dare to couple as a trio in a polyamorous relationship. However, the film does not merely shock the audience with unusual relationship dynamics, it goes further to delve into the emotions and motivations of the three characters as they tread territories that are largely unexplored by mainstream society.

Sam Cagnina, the haberdasher, and Steven Margolin, the chiropractor, hold the spotlight as an openly gay couple who have felt a distinct void in their decade-long relationship - a void only Samantha Singh, the professional masseuse, seems to fill. The film chronologically charts the evolution of their relationship dynamics over a significant duration of eight years, presenting the audience with a wealth of emotional exchanges, ups and downs, intimate moments, and genuine revelations.

Three of Hearts pulls away from the perception of polyamory as a mere sexual frenzy to explore the concept as a viable mode of emotional connection and family-making. The film paints a vivid picture of how voluntariness, consent, mutual agreement, and love form the bedrock of their unusual union. It identifies the shifts in dynamics that occur with time, the struggles they face, both inward and from an unwelcoming society, and the emotional toll or fulfilment their unique arrangement brings.

While Samantha is initially intended as an addition to Sam and Steven's relationship, she soon climbes the ladder of emotional intimacy and transformed into an integral part of what now constitutes their 'family.' This nonzero-sum-game of relationships, where adding a third companion doesn’t simultaneously lessen the love for the other two, is a concept the film gracefully yet daringly explores.

Documentary filmmaker Susan Kaplan’s directorial venture is masterful in its ability to capture the joyous, chaotic, and heart-rending moments of these three intertwined lives. Kaplan impeccably showcases the trio’s biting reality, humanizing and normalizing their relationship for the audience with great subtlety. She manages to masterfully manipulate the strings of emotion, delicately tugging at hearts or pulling out chuckles in the most unexpected turns. Whether it's Sam, Steven or Samantha's perspective, each narrative is given equal attention and depicted with immense sensitivity and non-judgment.

Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family often dips its toes into uncharted waters, examining the interpersonal changes that come about as a direct result of their decision, reflecting back both on societal norms and individual perspectives of love, commitment, and legality. It breaks taboos with its nuanced representation of polyamory, indirectly questioning societal impositions of 'accepted love’ and the true meaning of 'family'.

Along with its strong storyline and intricate character details, the film also excels in technical aspects like cinematography, editing, and music. The pragmatic documentary approach, coupled with artistic shots and sequences, lay bare their daily life’s truth. A keenly employed technique in the film is the use of intimate sit-down interviews with the trio and their friends, family and children, giving a personal perspective and adding depth to the narrative.

The soundtrack reverberates with the ongoing narrative's emotions - alternating between cheerful, contemplative, and poignant. Its clever musical cues guide the viewer through the trio’s moments of joy, contemplation, and despair. Overall, the highly apt and excellent technical treatment is essential in supporting the film's progressive narrative and enhancing the viewer's experience.

In conclusion, the film ‘Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family’ is a gripping and groundbreaking exploration of non-traditional family dynamics. Encased within its storyline are love, compromise, adaptation, co-parenting, and most importantly, acceptance, all of which makes it a deeply moving film that is likely to leave a lasting impression.