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Alysia Reiner |
'One Day in Sedona' Review: Alysia Reiner and Wallace Langham Carry a Romance With Visual Limitations
Monique Sorgen’s conversation-driven film draws strength from two veteran performances, even as its cinematography fails to make the most of its setting.
Alysia Reiner and Wallace Langham keep “One Day in Sedona” moving at an engaging pace, bringing emotional assurance to a modest romance that asks its actors to do much of the heavy lifting. Director Monique Sorgen gives them room to build a connection, but the film’s visual treatment of Sedona is less compelling than the performances unfolding against it. The result is a film whose sincerity I appreciate more than its cinematic execution.
I applaud Sorgen’s desire to let viewers spend time with Sedona itself. The landscape becomes something of a character, offering space for reflection and connection. Still, it is a lot to ask of two actors: to keep such a straightforward story moving while the film pauses to appreciate its surroundings. Reiner and Langham meet that challenge, making the conversation feel like an encounter worth staying with rather than simply a means of advancing the plot.
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| Alysia Reiner and Wallace Langham keep “One Day in Sedona” moving at an engaging pace, directed by Monique Sorgen. (Courtesy Photo) |
I am not impressed by the cinematography. The shot compositions are competent at best—a disappointment in a setting that offers so much visual possibility. The opening has the feel of travelogue footage captured on an iPhone, when it could have established a strong visual presence from the outset. That is an observation about how the footage looks, not the equipment used to shoot it. The images simply do not make enough of the place Sorgen clearly wants us to experience.
As a made-for-television romance—something in the Hallmark world—“One Day in Sedona” would come close to a ten. Expectations for a theatrical experience are less forgiving, making the film’s visual shortcomings harder to overlook. Its intimacy may suit television or streaming, but intimacy alone does not create compelling cinema.
Yet I can feel the thought and love that went into this film. Part of its charm is simply that it got made: a modest, conversation-driven romance willing to place its faith in two people and the possibility of connection. There is a kind of delicious resistance tugging at it, an insistence that an ordinary encounter deserves our attention.
The two veterans take something ordinary and do what experienced actors do: make us believe. For that, I salute the entire effort.
Flaws and all.
“Reiner and Langham give familiar material texture, make emotion credible, and persuade us to care.”
— Lapacazo Sandoval, AmNews Curtain Raiser
Where to See “One Day in Sedona”
Heartland Film Festival — Indianapolis, Indiana
October 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
Living Room Theaters
745 E. 9th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Special guest: Director Monique Sorgen
Tickets
October 13, 2026, at 2:45 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
3898 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis, IN 46254
Special guest: Director Monique Sorgen
Tickets
October 17, 2026, at 7:15 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
3898 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis, IN 46254
Tickets
Chelsea Film Festival — New York, New York
October 17, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.
Regal Cinemas, Battery Park
102 N. End Avenue, New York, NY 10282
Special guests: Director Monique Sorgen and actor Alysia Reiner
Tickets
Martha’s Vineyard Film Society Women in Film Festival — Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
October 18, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
Martha’s Vineyard Film Center
79 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
Special guest: Director Monique Sorgen
Tickets
LA Femme International Film Festival — Sherman Oaks, California
October 25, 2026, at noon
Regal Cinemas, Sherman Oaks
15301 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Special guests: Director Monique Sorgen and producer Sean Akers
Tickets
Smodcastle Film Festival — Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
November 7, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Smodcastle Cinemas
82 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
“One Day in Sedona” screens in Block 12 alongside “Hyperburn” and “Self+Tape.” The venue’s ticket page lists November 7 rather than the November 6 date in the supplied screening schedule.smodcastlecinemas
Modern Elder Academy Film Festival — Santa Fe, New Mexico
December 14–19, 2026
Rising Circle Ranch
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The festival is presented as a five-day midlife retreat. The organizer lists the program dates as December 14–19; a specific screening date and time for “One Day in Sedona” were not confirmed on the retrieved program page. Director Monique Sorgen and actor Alysia Reiner are listed as special guests in the supplied schedule.meawisdom
Registration and program information
Screening times and guest appearances are subject to change. Confirm details with the organizers before attending.
Director: Monique Sorgen
Producer: Sean Akers
Cast: Alysia Reiner (Julie), Wallace Langham (Will)
Cinematographer: Avi Kaye
All photos Courtesy of the production.
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