Starring: Zoe Kazan, Mark Rendall, Maryann Urbano.
The Exploding Girl, follows epileptic college student Ivy (Zoe Kazan), as she maneuvers her life around Brooklyn with her best friend Al (Mark Rendall).
I was so disappointed by this movie. Zoe Kazan became one of my top actresses in 2014, so I went to watch all through her filmography and came across this one. The trailer gave me all sorts of hope, with an indie soundtrack, Brooklyn based and a lovely pastel colour theme but the storyline did not match.
I remember watching Tiny Furniture (2010) by Lena Dunham and having to watch it 4 times until I could finish. I had such high hopes for the movie but it was so dull and exhausting I could never finish. This is exactly how I felt about this film.
Although this film did have a storyline, it wasn't really clear what is was and there just wasn't really a plot. It was more of a mesh of conversations and mundane living in Brooklyn. Literally nothing happened. When something did happen, it was short lived and given little to no context whatsoever.
Even though I didn't particularly like this film, I feel that if I were lonely or just alone and bored on a summers night, then this film could potentially be a great watch. The film is very mellow and calming to watch so I feel like it could more enjoyable when you're around the same summery and dull atmosphere.
The cinematography and shots were something that did manage to earn some likeability from me. Based in Brooklyn, you already have the perfect backdrop but the colours that were used and the wide shots made the scene really come to life and added a nice feeling to the scene. The colours were very soft and pastel which I feel matched the main characters personality and aura. The whole film seemed like late spring in London.
The acting wasn't something that I felt moved at all by. Firstly, I didn't remember any of the characters names as they were so mundane and boring and the acting matched. It was almost like a secondary school drama but shot by a university film student. I understand however, that is the personality of the girl but it was too much. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, of which, there was only really two.
Overall,, I wouldn't recommend watching this film. This could have easily been a great short film but does not work well as a feature length in the slightest. Don't let this put you off Zoe Kazan though, she has grown into a wonderful actress in the 5/6 years since The Exploding Girl.
