Greetings readers! As this year continues to roll on, I find myself drawn more and more into searching out indie films and giving them a try. So…why waste a perfectly good Friday afternoon when getting out of work a few hours early? No way! That meant it was time to get home, settle in, and TAKE in one of the recent indie offerings that only had a small release in theaters…and therefore I found myself, yet again, being thankful for the wonders of On Demand! I give you…..”God Help The Girl”.
SEE THE TRAILER HERE
Written and directed by first-timer (and Belle & Sebastian front man) Stuart Murdoch, “God Help The Girl” brings us to Summertime in modern Glasgow, Scotland and INTO the rather lonely, isolated world of Eve (Emily Browning), a young, twenty-something girl who it seems has been living in a hospital while attempting to recover from multiple problems, both emotional and physical. The monotony in the routine is evident, and so she often sneaks away to take in the Glasgow music scene at a local venue, often played by popular band Wobbly Legged Rats. It is at one such concert that circumstances ultimately bring her into contact with James (Olly Alexander), a guitarist in another band that, well, ISN’T popular…or that skilled. To boot…he is a lifeguard at a local pool facility, and seeing a quick flash as to how well he does THAT job as he’s conversing with Eve….he isn’t too successful there either. After this brief encounter, we are given to see that Eve tends to journal her feelings and additional thoughts, then puts them to music. She eventually tracks James down again and the two start forming a bigger bond as their mutual love of music comes out and the songwriter in her is made clear to James, who not only decides she can live in the extra room at his flat, but also decides she should be his “assistant” in teaching his only guitar student, Cassie (Hannah Murray), how to write a great song. Soon this trio of misfits is not only creating music together, but simply sharing in life’s adventures throughout the Summer. Along the way, we see that Eve has also attempted to submit some of her songs via cassette tape to Anton (Pierre Boulanger), the lead singer of Wobbly Legged Rats who has direct access to the local radio personalities Findlay & Donovan (Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie). This also puts Eve on Anton’s radar, and soon the two are involved. Meanwhile, as James becomes more and more smitten with Eve himself, we continue to learn more about each of these wayward people who are all at a crossroads in life. Through a canoe-based day trip, searching for more people to round out their now-forming band, and other factors, Eve, James, and Cassie experience breakthroughs in each others lives via this friendship circle and their musical journeys that seem to be bringing each of them to a much better place than they’d been. It is only when a reveal by Anton shakes up Eve’s world that things begin to unravel, and Eve in particular suddenly feels all this newfound hope and joy slipping away. When that path leads her to end up back in the hospital, thanks to James’ efforts, it really becomes an even bigger wake-up call to Eve, who makes a decision that affects everything the trio has been working towards. But it is in this decision that they can all ultimately find out that everyone was in the right place for the right time for EACH of them, and the story becomes the sum total of achieving growth in this Summer quest for life, love, forgiveness, acceptance, purpose, dreams, letting go, friendships, and moving on. More details than this would = SPOILERS…and we ALL know how I feel about THOSE. LOL Oh, and by the way…..this was also a movie musical!
I believe I will have to get my adjective-driven, basic description out of the way first….this was one quirky, eccentric, whimsical, fantastically engaging, wonderfully musical, and oddly inspirational story! By the end of the film, I had the realization that I was much more MOVED in heart by it than I would have anticipated. As I dropped at the end of my main review above, this IS a film performed like a stage musical, as there are many moments here when the thoughts and dialogue are sung rather than spoken. AND…this is also above and beyond the fact that the ACTUAL soundtrack-style songs for the film, BEYOND the singing dialogue, are also performed by the main trio. It absolutely worked for me without question. It just gives this whole production a total sense of, well, SUMMER, being as the story is set during that season. Emily Browning continues to amaze me in her vocal prowess, especially when singing several of the solo moments Eve has, as she personally reminds me of Andrea Corr in tone and overall presence, whether belting an upbeat tune or slowing it down with an emotion-filled ballad. And this is not at ALL to ignore Olly Alexander or Hannah Murray, who also deliver wonderfully vocal-wise. And the combination of the three honestly brought back to mind early recordings by the The Corrs, and for me, that is a very good thing, given I LOVE that particular pop sound like is on display throughout the story. And I liked the fact that, overall, the film was able to project the joys and defeats the three of them go through, but choosing to do so in a mostly non-gratuitous way. Some language is present and certain other thematic elements are also on display, but I really did not see these as ultimately detrimental in any way. I have to come BACK to the music again, as it IS a character in the film, much more than even a normal soundtrack often brings, and while this format for a film might not appeal to everyone, I have to say it was the glue that ended up holding it together for me. The title of the film is apparently the name of a side project group that writer/director Murdoch had going between 2009-2010. So again, it isn’t for everyone, but I feel “God Help The Girl” is the perfect type of indie feature to allow you to escape into this world the trio of characters creates, live their ups and downs, and come out the other side for the better.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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