Birthday Girl

 

To celebrate her daughter Cille 18th birthday, her mother Nanna, pays for her and her friend Lea to go on a cruise. At first the trip is filled with laughter, dancing, and drinks, but on the first night Cille is found on the upper decks of the ship alone with no underwear and bruises. Claiming she has no memory of what happened but sure she was sexually assaulted; Nanna becomes determined to find out the truth and find the attacker.

The film very much rests on the shoulders of Trine Dyrholm who plays Nanna the mother desperately trying to find answers. Dyrholm is captivating in her role, acting as our guide through a parent’s nightmare. She very easily slips into the irresponsible mother who just wants to celebrate with her daughter to being on a mission she knows she might fail; she carries the film and does it well. But despite the great performance, the film does, at first, feel like a paint by numbers story. Young girls acts recklessly, its discovered she was raped, but she is blamed for putting herself in the position, mother takes action to find out the truth. It is the last story beat where Birthday Girl picks and becomes far more intriguing to watch.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

I Saw the TV Glow - Sundance London

 

Nostalgia is a powerful tool in film, a homage or mention to something you experienced or even just knew about when you were younger makes you feel as if you’re part of the story on screen. I Saw the TV Glow weaves together a nostalgia driven plot with a personal journey, showing us what it feels and looks like to both deny one’s true self and feel the pull for what we needed when we were younger. It’s a delicate mix of genres that director Jane Schoenbrun, calling upon the sci-fi fantasy dramas of the 90s, especially those aimed at teenagers. I Saw the TV Glow is rather let down at times but narrative choices and the constant bleak overtone. However, its unique style and fascinating TV show within a film makes it unlike anything made in recent years.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Lisa Frankenstein

 

Sometimes, stories are just better when retold in a fun, amusing and original way, especially when they are inspired by a literary classic. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been the source of many versions, either faithful or a complete twist of the story. Lisa Frankenstein is both familiar and a bizarre iteration. Mixing together 80s teen rom-com and slasher components, the Frankenstein elements are closer to a spoof film, which is nowhere near a bad thing.

Full review over at Filmhounds.