This has all the elements necessary to become a cult hit; adorable lead playing the role of a likable misfit, hipster music and dirty jokes. However, the pacing was a letdown and the execution of the plot left something to be desired.
Carla is perfect as Helen, a tomboyish girl rough around the edges with a chip on her shoulder. As with Juno portrayed by Ellen Page, Carla's Helen is a girl with seemingly not a care in the world, walking to the beat of her own drum. As with both, we realize that their attitude is only a front, and both are incredibly vulnerable beneath the surface. This vulnerability makes Helen endearing, and the scene in which Helen's (crazy) mother convinces her to leap into her arms then lets her fall is very powerful.
Unfortunately, the sharp jumps between dirty humour and heavy drama don't work, simply feeling too abrupt and ill-planned. This movie could have been a heart-wrenching dramedy but it feels like the director did not know exactly how he wanted to put all his thoughts together. While it felt like there was too many heavy scenes, I still left the film feeling that I hadn't gotten that deep into Helen's psyche, other than gaining the knowledge that her strange behavior stemmed from rebellion against her mother due to her parents' divorce.
A good example of dramedy done well (in my humble opinion) is the television series Girls in Love, which contrasted Ellie's dreamy pursuit of boys with her melancholic memories of her mother in hospital. Sugar Rush (which coincidentally stars the same lead actress) is another show did well to balance humour with drama.
The nudity in this film did feel gratuitous at points, and I got a bit weary of the sheer amount cramped in the film mere minutes apart. Did I think it necessary for the full frontal nudity of four men jerking off onto a pizza? No. But Helen skating down the hospital corridor with her butt out did make me chuckle, and fit well with her personality.
Carla Juri will go far for sure, being beautiful, likable and talented. I cannot wait to see her star in more films in the future. I also hope to see more of director David Wndendt's work and will probably take a look at his older films. With better editing, his future directorial efforts will probably be winners.
Carla is perfect as Helen, a tomboyish girl rough around the edges with a chip on her shoulder. As with Juno portrayed by Ellen Page, Carla's Helen is a girl with seemingly not a care in the world, walking to the beat of her own drum. As with both, we realize that their attitude is only a front, and both are incredibly vulnerable beneath the surface. This vulnerability makes Helen endearing, and the scene in which Helen's (crazy) mother convinces her to leap into her arms then lets her fall is very powerful.
Unfortunately, the sharp jumps between dirty humour and heavy drama don't work, simply feeling too abrupt and ill-planned. This movie could have been a heart-wrenching dramedy but it feels like the director did not know exactly how he wanted to put all his thoughts together. While it felt like there was too many heavy scenes, I still left the film feeling that I hadn't gotten that deep into Helen's psyche, other than gaining the knowledge that her strange behavior stemmed from rebellion against her mother due to her parents' divorce.
A good example of dramedy done well (in my humble opinion) is the television series Girls in Love, which contrasted Ellie's dreamy pursuit of boys with her melancholic memories of her mother in hospital. Sugar Rush (which coincidentally stars the same lead actress) is another show did well to balance humour with drama.
The nudity in this film did feel gratuitous at points, and I got a bit weary of the sheer amount cramped in the film mere minutes apart. Did I think it necessary for the full frontal nudity of four men jerking off onto a pizza? No. But Helen skating down the hospital corridor with her butt out did make me chuckle, and fit well with her personality.
Carla Juri will go far for sure, being beautiful, likable and talented. I cannot wait to see her star in more films in the future. I also hope to see more of director David Wndendt's work and will probably take a look at his older films. With better editing, his future directorial efforts will probably be winners.