To the Stars (2019)

Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer's daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.

Director:

Martha Stephens

Writer:

Shannon Bradley-Colleary

Stars:

Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Liana Liberato

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Malin Akerman	...	Grace Richmond
Shea Whigham	...	Hank Deerborne
Liana Liberato	...	Maggie Richmond
Jordana Spiro	...	Francie Deerborne
Kara Hayward	...	Iris Deerborne
Adelaide Clemens	...	Hazel Atkins
Tony Hale	...	Gerald Richmond
Madisen Beaty	...	Clarissa Dell
Lucas Jade Zumann	...	Jeff Owings
Natalie Canerday	...	Ms. Turnbull
J.D. Evermore	...	Len McCoy
Tina Parker	...	Edith McCoy
Farah White	...	Barbara Dell
Quinn Gasaway	...	Mike
Sophi Bairley	...	Hattie McCoy

Storyline

Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer's daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

26 January 2019 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Northern Lights Films, Foton Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

The school scenes were shot in Wakita, Oklahoma, the same town Twister was shot. There is a museum that has props from the movie Twister.

User Reviews

First Reaction

You really don't need to know much more about this film aside from the brief blurb currently posted. A detailed synopsis will actually diminish the experience in my opinion. The film is a black and white production set in 1960s Oklahoma. The story is centrally about an unlikely relationship between two young women. That's as much as you need to know.

From a technical perspective, the depth of field was above average even for a studio production. As an independent film, the photography earns extra points. The production was shot on location so we can't talk about set design. However, the costumes and staging were pretty spectacular too.

I was a little disappointed to learn the film was dual-chromatic. Meaning the producers and director essentially shot both in color and non-color before deciding which cut to release. The film wasn't exclusively crafted as a black and white film. On the upside though, the director obviously took care enough to ensure everything contrasted well in black and white from the beginning. The contrast is very well done and obviously extensively planned.

The best part of the film is probably the performances though. Kara Hayward steals the show in my opinion. However, there is such a long list of supporting roles it's hard to say which one is best. Liana Liberato deserves a mention as an essential co-star but the list really doesn't end there. If I had to level any criticism, I'd say the male performances didn't really keep up.

The difference probably relates more to writing than how the actors were portrayed but the difference is noticeable. All the male characters, with maybe one exception, are decidedly two dimensional. The female characters, whether by acting or writing, display a lot more depth and interest for the viewer. The distinction was obviously intentional. However, there is a problem.

Without giving anything away, the sheer volume of depth almost overwhelms the film at some points. I feel as though there were too many interesting plot lines to explore. The film might have accomplished more with less. Instead, I encountered some odd cropped scenes where you're left wondering where some of the ideas came or went.

Not exactly continuity glitches. More like questions left hanging. I won't tell you the details. Suffices to say though, the climax of the film ends up feeling a bit rushed and most of the sub-plots leave the film feeling inconclusive. One loose end was certainly intentional. However, I'm talking about the film as a whole.

Go watch and enjoy. The film is a lot more successful than not. If you have the time, you should ask yourself where the title came from. That's one of those explained loose ends.