Girl Asleep (2015)

The first half of the film was wonderful (I'd give it 9 stars)! It was witty, artistic, imaginative, and delt with really world issues. The characters were fresh and complex, and their conflicts and choices were intriguing. However, halfway through it started to loose all of that, except some of the imaginative aspect, but in a style so unlike the rest of the film it's jarring.

(Flash Review)Combine Wes Anderson, Napoleon Dynamite, some surreal moments and you get a picture of the film's style. Greta is a girl about to turn 15 years old, who is shy and doesn't have many friends and has no intention of changing her ways until her parents throw her a big 15th birthday party that threaten her comfort zone. Once threatened, her imagination runs wild! Energetic little film from Australia. Full of bold colors, fun costumes, peculiar characters, meaningful shot framing and odd creativity. My main problem with the film is after a great build up and plot development, to me, the director loses command of the story. It feels a bit scattered or the tone switches too much for my taste but maybe that is part of his intent. Overall, it was a very fun experience.

This is a coming of age film with a difference. It starts off pretty typically: a teenage Greta on the brink of adulthood struggling to navigate her new world. Starting at a new school and having a 15th birthday party looming forced on her by her well-meaning but clueless mother, she's faced with making some tough decisions regarding the relationships in her life. But after having a falling out with her new best friend at her party, the tone of the movie does a complete 180 as Greta falls asleep and enters a strange dreamland where she's forced to confront her fears about growing up, say goodbye to her childhood and rethink how she views the people in her life. While I really enjoyed this film, I don't think it was adapted from the play very well. The dialogue, direction, style of acting and even some of the special effects are much more suited to the theatre than the cinema. The actors for the most part do an excellent job, but they can't quite shake the staginess of it. Despite it's flaws, it's easy to get lost in the fun, quirkiness of the film and I challenge you to not fall in love with the characters!

This is a beautiful and beautifully made movie. The intricacies and absurdities of 70s life are writ large, with over the top set dressing and outfits. Disco dancing and disco moves abound, as Greta discovers herself in this coming of age tale. It's surreal and enchanting, wafting from real life to dream sequence, you're with it all the way.A new Australian classic, and certainly something different, both for Aussie cinema and for cinema in general.It's been out for weeks here in Melbourne, and my Monday evening session was sold out, we missed out the week before for that reason, so it is resonating with audiences. Let it put you under its spell.