Dakota Skye (2008)

For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye has been cursed with a super power. She has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. From small, harmless white lies, to the more ... See full summary »

Director:

John Humber

Writer:

Chad J. Shonk

Stars:

Scott F. Anderson, Matt Baker, Eileen April Boylan

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott F. Anderson	...	Casey (as Scott Anderson)
Matt Baker	...	History Teacher
Eileen April Boylan	...	Dakota Skye
Laci Couts	...	Female Teacher (as Laci Buzzelli)
Calico Cooper	...	Heather
Evan Cuthbert	...	Nerd
Bay Dariz	...	Jacob
Lori Decker	...	Sarah
Zacry Fox	...	Dan
Dominique Generaux	...	Beth
J.B. Ghuman Jr.	...	Kevin Miles
Lou Grande	...	Terry
Destiny Hyden	...	Denise
Brielle Montoya	...	Dakota - 10 / 12 yrs old
Kassidy Muller	...	Dakota - 6 years old

Storyline

For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye has been cursed with a super power. She has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. From small, harmless white lies, to the more devious kind, they have come from the people that she should trust the most; her family, friends and teachers. These lies have snowballed, leading to her becoming bitter and apathetic towards the world around her. Now seventeen, Dakota just watches the world happen around her, unmotivated to join it. She has a boyfriend who plays in a semi-popular local rock band and her best friend from childhood, but finds little joy in her own life. One day, Jonah comes into town. It only takes a few days before Dakota notices something about him that sets him apart from the other people in her life. He doesn't lie. Through her friendship with Jonah, her eyes are opened to the world around her and she sees that there is something out there more than all the lies. There is a possibility of something different... ...

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Plot Keywords:

lie | rock band | duet | classroom | cigarette smoking | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

official MySpace page for DAKOTA SKYE

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desert Skye Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Dakota walks into class and falls asleep at her desk, she is only wearing two black and pink bracelets. In the next scene when she is being picked up from school she is suddenly also wearing a few blue bracelets.

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Quotes

Jonah Moreno: Why do we always find ourselves looking down on things. I think that's a thing for us...

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Soundtracks

"Read My Mind"
Written by Bay Dariz
Performed by Bay Dariz, J.B. Ghuman Jr., and Rob Whalen

User Reviews

The Best Film You've Never Heard Of...Yet.

I was at the Phoenix Film Festival this weekend, and it was one of the strongest batch of quality films I've seen at a festival. There were none of those high- profile stinkers (like Hound Dog) that always seem to slip into these showcases. Just good cinema.

By far the Best of the Fest was a little film called DAKOTA SKYE. It's a coming of age story (strike 1) with no stars (strike 2). But the film does not deserve to go back to the lockers. This should be seen by the widest audience possible. (At the fest, I saw a similar remarkable film, the already acclaimed American Teen. This was even better.)

And while it's about a 16 year-old girl growing up in Phoenix, the film is not your typical coming of age drama...not even close. There's a (let's say) superhero element that makes the film completely unique (without relying on its gimmick like say, What Women Want.) The ingenious script by Chad Shonk (who so deserved the Award he won) merely uses his gimmick as a jumping off point, to explore issues of trust. I am not the target audience for this film, yet it spoke to me in a way I would not have expected. (It's even more exceptional that the film was written, produced and directed by men, yet is such a strong woman's picture.)

And the cast may not be stars, but they can Act, with a capital A. Eileen Boylan gets a star-making part as the emotionally conflicted Dakota. She plays well off of Ian Nelson and J.B. Ghuman as the two men in her life. Each performer brings a different energy to the film, and you can see what appeals to Dakota and draws her to both guys. (The conflict is highlighted in an amazing movie theater scene that contains some of the film's best dialogue and most subtly powerful direction.) Nelson shows the skills of a solid leading man, while Ghuman should be required casting for any filmmaker looking for an actor who can steal the movie. His mixture of jerkiness and emotional sincerity should be taught to other actors of his generation who keep messing parts like this up.

The film is really well edited. For a dialogue-heavy film, there's a lot of montages and they feel carefully planned, not scraped together out of whatever footage was lying around. (Something that you come to expect to find in a first-time Indie film.) And it's all tied up with a light and bouncy score that knows when to come in and when to let the actors do the heavy lifting.

I learned this is the feature debut of director John Humber, and I can't wait to see where he goes next. This is an assured first film (like the best parts of Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides or David Gordon Green's George Washington.) My big fear is that, with no stars to push, the film will get lost on the festival circuit and we will all lose out on one of the most exciting filmmakers I've seen in a while. I urge everybody to mark this page, google the film, do whatever you have to. If this film comes to your town, DO NOT MISS IT. If you happen to be on a festival committee, don't be so quick to give it a pass. (Like Hustle & Flow, the film gets better and better as it goes on.) You'll want to say that you played this film and supported this filmmaker. (He also gives an excellent Q&A.)

DAKOTA SKYE, the best independent film that isn't getting enough attention.

p.s. I was inspired to write this review because I worry the film won't get released in theaters or come out on DVD. And I really want to own this film on DVD. I don't want the festival to be the one and only time I get to watch it.