User Reviews

I've had this movie on my watchlist for almost two years. I finally decided to give it a shot. Turned out to be ok I guess. It floats along and gets by but is boring most of the time. Very grey and drawn out. Just a little too slow for my taste. It was shot well and had some decent actors but it lacked a meaning. Just a sad story about a seemingly good kid that gets out of foster care and makes some very bad choices. 5 stars

If you feel fragile, dont view this film, because its a socialrealistic gem for the scholard and artseeking part of the audience. its an uncomfortable saga about a young man that has aged out of the foster care system, and is thrown out to the wolfes in the jungle of real life and danger.

its a film that mirrors the weakneses sosciety has when it comes to the orphans among us, they are met with demands everywhere, and the odds they have to win this race are very low so, as with this main character, he is leaning up to the wall of law, having his mugshots doen. its a somewhat psychedelic chaotic way of life and living presented , and its a heavy piece of art to watch. the score eventually also amplifies this feeling, and in the end your deemed to carry it with you in your conciousness for weeks and years to come. the acting are well done, but the story are like an ekg-diagram with extreme ups and downs.

the grumpy old man might have missed the point, but it will not be a rewatch, its too saggy for me.

How can one of the least talked about films of the last couple of years - have such insanely good photography? It is truly beautiful. Frame after frame after frame - I couldn't look away. Anybody who is into cinematography should watch this movie, and you'll be dazzled.

The DoP is Jeff Bierman, who seems to have done a few music videos before this. The close ups, shots of nature, lateral camera movements, colour shcemes etc are breathtaking. It's like a Trey Shults movie photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki. That's not an exaggeration. It really is that well shot. Director AJ Edwards is another that has apparently worked with Mallick - and it really shows.

The cinematography is the best thing about the movie, which tells the story of an orphan trying to make a fresh start in life after being released from a care home. It's like the lovechild of Short Term 12 and American Honey with an indie crime movie element thrown in. Tye Sheridan is Tye Sheridan, and there are nice turns from Geoffrey Wright and Imogen Poots, but Caleb Landry Jones steals the show, so much so that I'm sure he's destined to be a huge star once he's given the right lead role. The guy can act.

The plot is a tad thin and somewhat predictable, which lets the movie down somewhat. The melodramatic 3rd act doesn't help. But the astounding cinematography bumps the rating back up again.

This is a small, independent movie. It is mostly set in Waco, Texas and mostly shot there. I recognized some of the areas from my several visits a few years back. They even have a scene of throwing tortillas off the Waco Suspension Bridge, a ritual most Baylor college students go through.

Texas native Tye Sheridan is the main character, Richie, an orphan who has banged around the foster system for most of his life. He is just turning 18 and as such will be emancipated. But how prepared is a barely educated 18-yr-old to jump right into adult life?

This story is about that difficulty and the eventual trouble he finds himself in. It is hard to find a real purpose for this movie other than to tell an interesting fictional story but one which may be close to reality for some in a similar situation.

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library, however she abandoned it when things got a bit weird in the middle of the movie.

Not terrible. Not great. I was expecting a depressing film about aging out of the foster care system, but this was merely the setting for the film, although it's definitely depressing. The cinematography was interesting, and some scenes were shot quite beautifully. The actors did a fine job. Overall, it was just okay.

An 18 yr old must leave foster care. He's never known focus or direction. His goal is survival. He goes from job to job without commitment to any of them. Eventually his life falls apart with no one to turn to but the only person who was actually nice to him once. It seems everybody else in this movie is there to be mean and uncaring to him.

This movie has stretches of movement without dialog. Long pointless scenes. Everything looks used. A bit difficult to watch because the plot is a long time coming. Imogen Poots as 'Joan' is a bright spot in his life in the viewers watching.

Acting good and realistic almost doccie like film giving it a very realistic feel...but ohhhh so drawwwwn out!...I just wanted it to end before I aged out and turned the light's out!

Edward's Friday's Child is Polanski's Oliver Twist meets Andrea Arnold's 2016 road drama American Honey.

Edwards, editor for Terrence Malick on his 2012 drama To the Wonder, brings the brutal decision 25,000 orphans face annually in the US to the cinema in this hauntingly real drama: whether to pursue a higher education and take on immense debt, or forego education early to fight for their place in the world.

At its core, the film has a harsh honesty that will leave the audience helpless in its wake. Edwards doesn't shy away from confronting the audience and employs a full range of cinematic techniques to create as visceral and personal experience. The end result is drama that will leave the viewer shaken, gasping, and somewhere deep down, confused by the guilt and anguish they feel by the pounding resolution of Edward's cinematic masterpiece.

Right off the bat, you'll notice Edwards chooses to shoot his entire film on the same wide lens (when I mean wide, I mean very wide: probably around in the 12-18mm range). It distorts space, makes it bulbous and deep, and draws attention to the environment very consciously. Inspired by American and German photographers from the 70s and 80s, Edwards explains that when we look at the world, we're not switching constantly between different lenses, rather in reality, our eyes see through one set of lenses. It is a very confrontational choice, that forces the viewer into the rest of the world in Friday's Child. You don't get to live the drama of the film without the harsh reality it is placed in.

Tye Sheridan, Imogen Poots, and Caleb Landry Jones have standout performances. They feel real and present; the only ounce of melodrama that leaks in is at the very end of the film. Aside from that, they move about the film with the listless pace you'd expect from people trying to piece their lives together. It isn't acted - scenes are startlingly authentic, starting from minute details like the awkward gait Tye Sheridan at Richie's first high class evening party, or the reckless stride of Caleb Landry Jones's character Swim as he struts around a hotel he has no business living in. Edwards often brings the camera right up to the actor, close enough to hear their shallow breathing and notice the clenching of their jaws. The intensity of the performance lives through its subtlety, a testament to Sheridan, Poots, and Jones.

The tone of the film, largely controlled by the rich kodachrome color palette and the pressuring soundtrack from rock artist Colin Stetson (he worked on Arrival and more recently, Hereditary), is heavy and oppressive. The 3:4 aspect ratio, in combination with the unrelenting drone of the soundtrack, can leave the audience feeling just as trapped as Richie himself. It isn't without catharsis, however: in the middle of the film, Richie elopes with his new girlfriend to the midwest, and the sound track recedes to reveal the gentle ambience of the country, the colors calm down to a comfortable temperament, and the sky opens as the frame expands in wondrous 2.4:1 aspect ratio. You can almost hear the theater breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Ultimately, the film revolves around freedom. In the opening minutes of the film, Richie's school counselors tell him, "You know what we call aging out? Emancipation." Edwards presents us with an authentic story rooted in the real problems of orphans all over the United States, while pressing us to live out their struggles with realizing what freedom really means in the "Land of the Free". While we can never completely understand the stories of these orphans from this side of the camera, Edwards offers us something remarkably close that, if not moving us into action, forces us to truly celebrate and fight for Emancipation some of us have the luxury of possessing.

Richie (Tye Sheridan) has been "age out" of foster care. He is befriended by drifter Swim (Caleb Landry Jones). Detective Portnoy (Jeffrey Wright) investigates the murder of his landlady. He encounters distressed Joan (Imogen Poots) who is having car trouble.

Filmmaker A. J. Edwards had worked with Terrence Malick and it shows. He using a lot of the Malick style. As with many Malick movies, the story telling can be a little murky and dreamlike. The material doesn't need that. It needs more visceral intensity. This movie does show that Edwards has the eye for the visual style. The acting is great. The younger trio do very well. It's a nice showcase for everyone's skills.

I was in a trance for most of the run time. It nosedives a little bit in the end, tacking on a plot that was barely introduced before and making it the main point of the film, but I'll give it a pass because that's not what the film is about. It's an experience. I could not take my eyes off the screen for a second. Amazing work from everybody involved. Definitely watching this one again!

Once in a great while we have the opportunity to watch a "movie" that allows us to set on the shoulder of its characters, and observe the world that they live in. Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy come to mind. I am not saying this effort is in that astronomical realm, but it's not too far behind.

Imogen Poots has taken advantage of some great parts and should be considered for a high-end lead. Her understated Joan overcomes a few script deficiencies (they meet because she doesn't know who to drive a standard shift SUV). She's understandably frustrated, probably because they don't make any of those outside of Yugoslavia. Caleb Landry gives an extraordinary performance as "Swim." Occasional Hi Def, natural light scenes offer beautiful segues. Low cost but interesting, very visual sets. Definitely worth your time.

This movie is just fantastic. All the actors give wonderful performances. And the camera work is insane.

I was incredibly fortunate to get to view this film at a special screening in Austin, Texas. I have nothing to do with the film or production, by the way. Yes, it is art film, so don't go in expecting to see an Avengers movie. But make no mistake, while it is far from an action movie, I was riveted to the screen throughout the entirety of the film. It is beautiful to look at, and just makes you FEEL what you are seeing on the screen. And it has an amazing, cohesive story (which often falls short in art films). The cast is incredible as well. In summary, this is an exceptional film, and an exceptional piece of art - go see it!

Plot and actors are very good. the whole of it catches you. Why? Their way of acting is convincing.

I'll make this short and sweet. I give our tens for films that touch my soul/ Tye Sherican dpes that in every film I have seen him in. Ms Potts is brilliant and this film is a master work by everyone involved in it. Brilliant.

Put simply, the movie is about forgiveness. Haven't you ever done something out of ignorance or fear or haste? Haven't you ever been friends with shallow people out of lack of will or respect for yourself? Haven't you ever know someone or yourself to have experienced a loss so great that the definition of yourself must change? These topics are hard to tackle but the film mashes these issues up into an amalgamation of experiences that the viewer must bring from their own experiences to understand and appreciate. If you are paying attention, almost every scene is connected threw juxtaposition of editing and smash cuts of symbolism's hard at work; building things, finished projects and ideas at play. Dreams that could be and nervous realities that are waiting for us to jump onboard with. Aka This guy knows how to edit. If you are an introspective person, this is the type of film that most of us dreamers need/enjoy/love/want, because it allows us the space to realize what we are thinking. Not every frame is saturated with pedantic dialogue. It allows the viewer to come to the realization of what's happening without physically telling you. And in the truest sense of an experience, you are living these emotions in real time as you come to these conclusions. Film is the emotional space that allows you to understand things that you normally otherwise wouldn't and this films allows you to do that.

Every frame is cut to perfection. Juxtaposition, despite how often film students love to dilute this word, is used with precision and intent. Nothing about these cuts and edits are lazy or haphazard, or accidental. If you're not seeing it, you may not be in the right mind frame. A.k.a. You're not thinking deeply enough about the images he's showing you. Much like Histoire(s) du cinéma by Jean-Luc Godard 1998, you have to actively participate with what you're seeing and if you are, then the connections to the characters' motivations and emotions will be self evident. This film is a dance, it takes two. You will not be spoon fed. And that's not an artistic ploy of laziness on the part of the director to make 'average film goers' feel stupid; there really is a deeper level to this film that leaves very little to be enjoyed in the shallows. The deeper level is the first level. If you aren't meeting the film there, then you need to dig deeper in yourself, as a participant of the film, in order to be able to participate. Because once you do, this film is a pure roller-coaster ride in the exploration of the best we could be as humans!