Reviews

Recovery Road follows Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a 17 year old party girl in California. Maddie is found to have alcohol on school premises one day after having got home from a party in the early morning, having blacked out and lost her car during the night. Her high school guidance councillor, Cynthia (Alexis Carra) informs Maddie and her mother, Charlotte (Sharon Leal) that she will have to go to rehab or be expelled from school. Maddie concedes and starts her new life in a live-in sober living house for adults, while still going to school during the day and trying to keep this a secret from her friends and boyfriend, Zach (Keither Powers).

The other residents at Summer Meadows rehab are diverse in theirs characters and their sobriety journeys. We soon find out that Maddie's ex-best friend with whom she used to do drugs, Rebecca (Lindsay Pearce) is also a resident and the two must learn to live with each other. Maddie is reluctant to fully dive into her recovery journey - still processing the whole situation - but becomes romantically interested in Wes (Sebastian De Souza) another of the residents, who has been told by Summer Meadows councillor, Craig (David Witts) that he cannot risk his sobriety with a relationship.

The series was very addictive (pun intended) and the storylines were all very intriguing. However, it did require a good amount of suspension of belief and here I will detail the qualms I had with the show. {spoilers} Maddie realised she was probably raped in the first episode and then nothing happens with this storyline which was so unbelievable. This is a life-altering event for anyone and it isn't really something you would think about once and then forget, unless Maddie is incredibly good at supressing things. She only mentions it again in passing to Wes in the final episode.

Speaking of Maddie and Wes, Maddie is a minor, she is 17, in high school, and Wes is a grown up adult man, and no one seems to bat an eyelid at this. Charlotte's "only" concern was that he used to be an addict. Craig's only concern was that it would jeopardise Wes's focus on his recovery. It beggars belief that no one would be questioning what Wes sees in a 17 year old child.

Maddie and Cynthia's dedication to their significant others also is questionable. Neither of them seem particularly phased that they are contemplating cheating on their partners. {/spoilers} It is also particularly strange that Maddie's boyfriend (as well as the rest of her friendship group) is not overly worried about her not being able to attend *any* social outings without giving any good reason as to why she can't come. And the fact that it takes them all *that* long to bother finding out what is going on with her is also questionable.

My other peeve is with Craig, the 25 year old councillor who is apparently the head care provider in the rehab is also pretty questionable. Unfortunately I also found some of Witts' acting to be quite flat at times compared to the other actors'. {spoilers} I also had a hard time believing that he would say to a patient, "Why would you intentionally hurt yourself." when it is discovered they are self-harming. As a trained professional, surely he would know the rationale behind self harm. {/spoilers}

Despite these main issues I took with the story, I thought the show was inspiring and quite moving. It really made me reflect on the importance of honesty and letting people in - especially those closest to you who you know will support you {spoilers} (which Maddie's friends did an atrocious job of demonstrating) {/spoilers}. It clear this show was axed abruptly as there were too many loose plot threads at the end of the first season to not have an ending for, which is unfortunate. But, overall, an enjoyable watching experience.

I did not know quite what to make of this film as I started to watch it. The opening scene of evidently able-bodied actors playing disabled characters should have been a red flag. It was clear from the beginning that this was a film satirising mindfulness, therapy sessions, and the like and I admit, this part of the film did get some chuckles out of me, but the rest...oh dear.

The film tells the story of a man who is adapting to being a wheelchair user and a disability support group comes over to his house on the request of his partner. In this respect, it being set in one location with a small cast, and with a running time of just over an hour, it felt very much like a play. As it happens, it was adapted for the stage in the Czech Republic in 2010.

Quite possibly every negative stereotype about disabled people was played out during the course of the film: there is no possibility of fulfilling intimacy, disabled people want to kill themselves, and worst of all: creating a hierarchy of whose-disability-is-the-worst, and you-should-be-thankful-you-don't-have-this-disability, declaring they should be thankful they're not in such and such a character's shoes.

As another reviewer pointed out, the sexual violence towards the chairwoman of group makes for incredibly uncomfortable watching. She is an insufferable character (as are most of them), manipulative and controlling. It is obviously a slapstick, dark comedy complete with people falling out of windows, and crockery and punches being thrown about thrown left right and centre, but having sexual violence just seem like just another ingredient in this genre leaves a sour taste in the mouth, as does the butt of the joke always being disability and how miserable disabled people's lives must be.

The Art of Thinking Negatively could have been just about permissible had it come from a disabled writer/director, but as it stands, it feels like an incredibly insensitive and empty exploration of adjusting to a life with a disability.

This was the first lesbian movie I watched. Or at least the first attempt at watching one was a young adolescent (I never got through the whole film the first time). But giving it a second go some 10 years later was a really interesting surprise. I picked up on things I definitely wouldn't have then.

The biggest qualm I have with the film is that the main character Marie is so boring, or at least extremely reserved and doesn't speak much, and I thought this made her very hard to connect to. Unfortunately the longing doe-eyed gazes into the distance don't make up for a lack of characterisation. There are many examples of good coming of age dramas with quiet protagonists but this one just doesn't give much for the audience to grab on to. I felt like there was so much more opportunity to get to know Marie, and in that sense, the other two main characters, Anne and Floriane seemed more like the protagonists in a way.

Aside from that what I most enjoyed and relished was the complexities of female sexuality that were explored, especially compulsory heterosexuality (otherwise known as comp-het). I have never seen a film do this before in such a subtle yet powerful way. In my reading of the film, both Marie and Floriane are lesbian, but cannot act upon it or even admit this to themselves, Floriane especially. The film perfectly captures the pressures of young female sexuality and how it intersects with queerness. The girls all appear to believe and take for granted that heterosexual, penetrative sex is obligatory and a rite of passage (and who wouldn't, since this is what society makes young girls internalise). The way the girls use sex or the lack of it to shame each other is true to life and the games that are played. It's very painful to have to watch Floriane grapple with her desires in a homophobic or at least hetero-normative society where she maybe cannot be true to herself; she doesn't want to sleep with guys yet feels like she has to do it like a clinical a chore. The scene where Marie "takes Floriane's virginity" really speaks to how much the notion of virginity is taken as a gospel truth and the lack of education for young people about sex and most fundamentally: pleasure. It was sad but understandable why she was so manipulative with not only the boys she showed interest in, but also Marie in public, while in private the two girls were able to be themselves. The scene where they are sitting on the steps looking over a lake was very poignant and Floriane telling Marie that she's very lucky not to have a story of unwanted sexual advances, women and non-binary people know this all too well.

I really loved Anne's character, her almost mad and compulsive drives to get a boy to like her felt true and sympathetic. I would have given the film a higher score, had it not been let down by the way Marie carried the the film. (Not related to the scoring, but I couldn't get out of my head how much Marie looked like Kalki Koechlin).

I am a big musicals fan, but this was just painful to endure. The seriousness of the acting and storyline was completely zapped out whenever they broke into song. I was really getting into the emotion of something and then: showtune! I can't understand why this was a good idea. I would have been perfectly happy with a shorter, non-musical finale. I also thought it was so contrived how they interacted with all the other characters at the funeral. And, god, that last song was awful. To anyone who wants a good crossover between Jewish culture and musical theatre, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is 10x better. Don't waste your time with this.

Dear Lord, please....This was not a good movie. I think either it should have focused on being a sad story about death or a love story. Because of this conflation of moods, the happy-go-lucky, over the top acting seemed so out of place. I feel as if this was not made for a British audience; like it was 'too British' and everyone seemed to be caricatures of themselves. The main lead actor thankfully did not over-act, but seemed to have no real depth, nor did I believe for one second the chemistry between the two leads or the relationship with her boyfriend for a matter of fact. It was just stale. I didn't hate it, but I didn't feel anything for anyone. If you want a film with essentially the same storyline, but just better overall, check out Rory O'Shea Was Here/Inside I'm Dancing, where a carer falls in love with her patient.

It did take two sittings for me to get through this, the beginning felt like a lot of scene-setting, not all of which was compelling or necessary to the story line. Some of the acting felt a bit wooden. A lot of the side-characters were very forgettable. Mo's friendship with Aisha didn't really go anywhere. Wish that Rash and Sayyid's relationship, which was suddenly introduced out of *nowhere*, could have been explored more. And for god's sake, is it possible for people to actually say the word *bisexual*? Others have been saying that this is about a gay brother, when it is never said that he doesn't still love Vanessa. And the fact that their sex was not 100% consensual should have been addressed more. There were just a lot of stereotypes which were played into. A few plot holes such as what happened after Izzi's murder? No investigation? No living in constant fear that the police will rock up at your door? No CCTV that would have caught them? None of the characters seemed desperately sad that someone had died. Despite all these issues, I didn't dislike it. There were parts which were dramatic and tense. Also, why do films insist on being filmed in the dark, I know it's atmospheric, but god is it difficult to watch.

I definitely liked this series despite the amount of negative things I have to say about it.

The whole story started very quickly and I felt that over the series, there wasn't enough building of tension to be fully engaging; it was just one thing after the next and I never felt like the characters acted like they were in grave danger. Some of the acting was difficult to believe, like there wasn't enough weight behind it; a disconnect between the character and the actor. I'm not sure if it was over- acted, or if the emotional scenes were just in the wrong places, or perhaps whether it was because of the script that it didn't seem like it didn't allowed the characters to develop and flourish. I didn't like the fact that there were characters introduced (such as April's dad) that didn't really add a lot to the plot. The only thing binding together the whole story line was the Shadow Kin, otherwise each episode felt very self contained.

And on the subject of the Shadow Kin. They were not scary or menacing enough. The fact that they make jokes completely takes away from any impact they could have had. The inclusion of the weeping angels at the end was surprising; there having been no reference to them at all. It seemed a bit pointless to have them at the end, when if they had have been included earlier on, that could have been really good. When April and Ram go to the Shadow Kin world, it's like it's the most casual thing. It needed more peril and just came across as very underwhelming.

The fact that they made Tanya 14 was just so unbelievable, the actor did not look 14 and the whole character was not one of a 14 year old. I couldn't stand April's mother, her story line didn't add much and she was so patronising to April and Ram. In fact, all of the parents didn't seem to care that their children's lives were in danger and there didn't seem to be much of an attempt to stop them. Ram's personality changed constantly; not liking the rest of them, then liking them, back and forth and his character seemed vague. There was too much focus on football, and again, did not add a lot.

In the first episode, my initial reaction was that the theme song seemed completely out of place, sounding very upbeat whereas the series definitely had a dark tone. (Also why wasn't the actor's name who plays Matteusz in the credits at the beginning like the others? he was just as much a part of the series). The detention episode was good in the way that we learn more about that characters (could have come earlier or even served as a first episode) but that they somehow correctly guessed everything about the rock and the fact that it made everyone argue being the main point of conflict was certainly not thought out well enough.

Apart from all these negatives, I think Charlie and Matteusz's relationship was very strong throughout and and just felt more real and believable unlike April and Ram's. The diversity of the characters and cast was good. The visual effects on the whole were good, the music fitted really well and the editing was good too. Miss Quill's character in general, and especially her snide and humorous remarks, were enjoyable. I liked April's song in the last episode, that was really lovely.

All the way through, I was comparing it to Torchwood whose series 1 was so,so much more hard hitting and engaging than Class. It really drew you in in the first episode, establishing characters fully and built on that really well. Class had a strange combination of really gory and adult scenes, yet quite some young-seeming ones all interspersed with sarcastic quips, some of which were enjoyable. It was like a combination of Doctor Who and all its spin-offs, but I'm still confused where to place it. I am giving it a generous 6. Class was a really good concept, but I think it just fell short.

I felt this film was well done in the fact that none of the story-lines were over-complicated, but there were a lot of them and thus didn't make it quite as powerful if there had just been a singular one. However, the acting was accomplished; I especially was captivated by the Grandmother's emotional performance, it was heart-rendering when she was given the necklace and also *spoiler* at the funeral; the shot when she was talking to Gabriel, was really beautiful.

Adding to this, the moments where certain characters just hugged each other was particularly moving, especially when no words were needed to convey their emotions. The final scene was both humorous, tense and relatively satisfying for a film ending.

I have to say that I didn't connect with Gabriel's character to a large extent, but I loved the way that he was very at ease with his friends and that they could all be at ease with each other.

The music was quite good too and I was happy when I heard the song 'Love Love Love' by 'Of Monsters and Men', when Gabriel is on the bus at one point, I felt the lyrics reflected the Grandmother's feelings.

The film felt very long for the right film length , and the beginning felt almost like another film, or it didn't quite fit with the rest of the film.

Overall, I liked the film, it somehow didn't reach my expectations, it was gritty and emotional, and again like many coming of age films; portrayed teenagers' awkwardness, possibly too much. But never the less, I enjoyed it.

*Spoilers* This film was a random find for me, and I'm so glad that I watched it. It has a very adolescent feel to it, but it is quite a mature film in other parts. The acting was confident and realistic. The shots of the beach and dunes, the rain and sky with the actors' voices panning over really made the film for me. It was a lovely blending of nature and people too. All of the contrasting colours in these shots were perfect. This film reminds me of 'Glue' with the awkward silences and the nervousness of teenagers, also a coming-of-age film which I would highly recommend. I loved the fact that Pim could walk into the house of his neighbours and be like one of the family; it was even more emotional when he was crying when his mother left and also when his 'surrogate' mother got ill and died, I felt the symbolism of all the teenagers' white shirts was very powerful and her gesture with the boys' hands made it a beautiful scene. Overall, a lovely indie film, if a bit long.

I really enjoyed this film, it had a very indie feel, which for me, is good. I felt it to be very similar to the Argentinian film 'Glue' in the way that it was about boys coming of age and expressing their feelings. This isn't bad at all because I liked Glue a lot too. It's quite male orientated (and why wouldn't it be-it's about 4 teen boys) the activities they do together seem quite juvenile contrasting to the way they act with and perceive girls. The 4 boys all have different personalities, which makes it more interesting, they all joke about what the others think especially the more hippy one, Raol, yet he is the one who gets a girl first! One of the ones who usually teases the others ends up getting a surprise. Despite the swearing, it's really quite an innocent film about love and lust and you can't help relating to/feeling for Rik, the shy, emotional one. When all the others kiss the girl he likes, he just sits there looking awkward and uncomfortable, but it turns out alright for him in the end (luckily)!