A Beating Heart and Cracked Ceiling (2013) User Reviews

A Beating Heart and Cracked Ceiling is a rebellious fun film

[shanahcalsb · 9/10 · 19 July 2016]

I watched this film first on the Indie Animation You Tube channel and then I bought it from Createspace. I liked the cut out animation in the film. Cut out animation is not traditional animation so if you watch this film don't expect it to look like Disney animation. Cut out animated films are like stop motion animated films. Cora Clifford did a good job for an artist not in a big studio like Disney or Pixar. The film had brilliant colors and I thought blonde Francis is exceptionally beautiful looking. I liked the teal shirt and black skirt that Cora chose for Francis. Too often blondes are put in pink dresses. The main characters all have handsome features. Elian was very handsome and I thought the thick rim glasses looked sexy. If you see how Elian is drawn it becomes obvious that this is not a children's movie. Elian has big lips, sexy blue eyes, and tousled light blonde hair. The plot of "Cracked Ceiling" begins with Sarah getting injured in a car accident as a child. The brain injury causes her to have Epilepsy into her teens. Sarah and her family relocate from Atlanta, Georgia to a small town in Arizona called "Coyote." Sarah and her family does not fit in. Sarah's older brother, Jean, hates Sarah because Sarah was the baby of the family. When Sarah is a teen, Elian falls in love with her. Elian stalks Sarah and Francis becomes jealous that Sarah is the love interest of Elian. Elian is a rich boy with a lawyer father.In Sarah's twenties, Sarah meets an older red haired man called "Professor Palm." Sarah also has other problems as an adult. The film's content is not for children. There are some double entendre jokes that refer to heterosexual sex.

A drama with a great cast

[decembercld2007 · 10/10 · 18 February 2014]

I watched this movie on IMDb last year but a close friend gave me this movie on DVD for Christmas! I love this movie because Sarah Woodland and almost all of the characters from the book, God and the Coyote Sarah is a Coyote are in this film. Mean and sexy Francis McAllen is in this movie and she is a friend that I would never want in real life. But Francis makes me laugh. I love it when she dances and struts around. Sarah's brother is in this movie and he is such a jerk. He was a jerk when he was a little kid and he's a jerk as an adult. Elian is in the movie and of course he sucks up so much of your energy when you start watching him. Although this Elian is not as mean as the one in the book. ELIAN IS A MONSTER but in the book, Elian was so tongue in cheek, cocky, and violent. I'm glad that Cora did not draw everything that Elian does to Sarah and other people in this movie. My score for the movie Acting 10, Animation 10, Special effects 7, and directing 10.

I love Cora Clifford's films

[dknorthjn · 10/10 · 29 June 2016]

At first when I saw Cora's films I wondered what kind of animation is this. It is very colorful and the characters move like cut out (card board-like) characters. Duh, it is cut out animation. I like the plot and Cora is great at telling stories. I saw this film a few months ago and it used to be available straight to video. However, the DVD is temporarily unavailable on Amazon because Cora's official twitter says she is making a High Definition version of the film. I really like this film, please bring it back. I like this film and I saw Cora's other related films "Elaine's funeral" and "Still Living in God's Universe." Not everyone likes Cora's works because I saw some really nasty reviews on google about her book "A Big Christmas Adventure," "God and the Coyote" on some sketchy internet websites. However, I love Cora. May God bless Cora to keep on working. Keep making films and don't let weird, internet trolls ruin your God given gift.

No disappointments

[c_mar2012 · 10/10 · 20 February 2014]

I am a fan of Cora's work. I used to watch her cartoons on you tube when she made short films about Jubilee and Elmer, Gene and unhappy mermaids.Those movies were mostly for children except for Gene. This movie was great. I sit down with a big bowl of snacks and put in my DVD of A Beating Heart and Cracked Ceiling. I get to laugh at Francis McAllen because she is so arrogant, pretty, and flawed. Francis is one of the best characters on film because her voice is sharp and sarcastic. Elian is my favorite in this film. Why? Because Elian is wide eyed but there's nothing innocent about him. He is so creepy and weird. And Sarah is the way she is in the book. Sarah's strong story telling abilities and naive nature is so wonderful. When I watched this movie I loved the cut-out animation and the music.

I was vexed because Cora is so talented

[melforxaz · 5/10 · 17 July 2016]

Cora Clifford is my favorite writer. I started reading her books before she was on Amazon Kindle. I have bought all of her books and my favorite book is God and the Coyote. When I watched this film I was expecting to see that same magic that was in her book. I know Cora is an artist and her paintings (she used to have them online) were stunning. So I knew what her characters with the big eyes and thick lips would be visually appealing. Elian is handsome in this film. In the book, Elian is not described as particularly good looking. He's not ugly just nerdy, skinny, and very tall. This Elian was handsome and I liked how Cora drew him. A character as sexy looking as Elian should have been doing sexier things on film. Sarah is always cute looking and the one who is supposed to be prettiest is Belinda. Francis was stunning on screen and no other animated blonde looks as sassy as Francis. I liked the character designs. If this film was based on character designs I would give it 10 out of 10. But Cora removed the sexual content and on screen violence. When this film is re- released, I hope that Cora puts it back in. People who like Cora Clifford don't want non-violent movies and sexless plots. And people who don't like Cora Clifford can go find someone else to watch. 5 out of 10.