There is so much truth in this movie that at times it feels as if you are watching personal moments of this girls life that you really have no right to see. It is uncomfortable, embarrassing, and at times incredibly unsettling yet none of it feels as if it was exaggerated for the sake of the movie. Somehow Bo Burnham has managed to take one of the greatest lie-based mediums and used it to create an incredible and honest experience. For some viewers this story will fail to connect, but for those who have grown up feeling alone there is opportunity to see their own experience on screen.
The realness of the movie at times can be it's biggest turn off. During Kayla's (played by the phenomenal Elsie Fisher) video segments there are plenty of "um" and "like" that can be distracting, and the character dialogue sometimes feels unfocused and occasionally fails to land that truly powerful punch that you typically find in movies. While this can be unsatisfying it creates a situation where these characters feel like real people, and more often than not in real life we are met with unsatisfying moments where we look back and wish we could have said something more profound. Life is not scripted, and the fact that this scripted movie somehow manages to imitate that is strangely beautiful.
Not all of it is good. The score is distracting and overbearing at times, and the honesty in the narrative occasionally makes some scenes feel as if they serve no greater purpose. Despite this at the heart of this movie is an emotional reflection of a real middle school experience that will resonate with many people who were lonely and simply longed to find a connection.
The realness of the movie at times can be it's biggest turn off. During Kayla's (played by the phenomenal Elsie Fisher) video segments there are plenty of "um" and "like" that can be distracting, and the character dialogue sometimes feels unfocused and occasionally fails to land that truly powerful punch that you typically find in movies. While this can be unsatisfying it creates a situation where these characters feel like real people, and more often than not in real life we are met with unsatisfying moments where we look back and wish we could have said something more profound. Life is not scripted, and the fact that this scripted movie somehow manages to imitate that is strangely beautiful.
Not all of it is good. The score is distracting and overbearing at times, and the honesty in the narrative occasionally makes some scenes feel as if they serve no greater purpose. Despite this at the heart of this movie is an emotional reflection of a real middle school experience that will resonate with many people who were lonely and simply longed to find a connection.
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