Edie is a teenager in a fairly standard American town is brought up by her Jewish grandmother. The suggested cultural differences this brings has always been an issue for her, however a crush on a boy brings this difference into sharp focus, creating tensions around Edie, her grandmother, and her new group of friends.
This is a film of moments, and across these moments there is a heartfelt sincerity to them that makes them engage and occasionally makes them move too. These moments are of casual cruelty, potential affection, emotional betrayal, and general teen stupidity; in the base of these moments the film feels real and there is that sense that perhaps this is not wholly a work of fiction but at least based around some experiences. The problem is that beyond this base, the writing because a bit too broad and functional – in particular making the film very much feel like it is of moments. In a way this is part of the flashback structure, and it is told in episodes, but the film doesn't counter this, so it really does feel like it is working down a list in terms of what it contains.
What seemed missing was nuance, and a subtle touch. As it is, nobody would be in any doubt about what any given scene is trying to achieve – because it is pretty clear what each one is doing in terms of servicing the characters and narrative. As it pertains to the dialogue, this also means that the cast are perhaps a bit limited and maybe didn't have that depth of character, which often results in their performances being equally direct (and, to be fair, equally heartfelt). Pedretti was suitably delicate and conflicted, but I thought Woodall was far too generic and in no way did she make her character a person. The supporting students are mixed but mostly do well, however as with all the performances, there was perhaps not the complexity to work with to draw a lot out.
This is a heartfelt short film, and it feels like it did come from at least some place of experience. In this way it does engage and feels sincere, however it is too direct in its delivery, and could have done with more nuance, detail, and shading to make it feel more real and engage more.
