Girl Asleep (2015)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Best movie ever!

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Girl Asleep is a imaginative take on the wild ride that is adolescence. This tale is told from the perspective of Greta, an awkward Australian teen who moves to a new house & school on the precipice of her 15th birthday. Having moved to a new city around the same time in my life, I definitely identified with Greta's plight--the difficulties of making new friends in a place where it seems everyone knows each other, all while dealing with hormones, mean girls & overbearing parents. The family dynamics between Greta, her kooky parents (a dad who loves short-shorts & potty humor, a mom who matches her outfits to the meals she makes & works out on a stationary bike in wedge heels) and a surly, world-wise older sister, make for plenty of hilarious moments. Originally a stage play, written by Matthew Whittet (who also adapted the screenplay & plays Greta's father), this film takes place in the 1970s, with a groovy soundtrack to match (including SYLVESTER!). The color palette is eye-catching, and found somewhere in the center of a venn diagram joining Napoleon Dynamite & any Wes Anderson flick. The subtitles for the passing of time (& even the opening title) are cleverly interwoven into the scenes--appearing on a basketball or the growth chart on a bedroom door. I just realized that if I sat here & told you all the fun, quirky details in this movie, we could be here for hours. . . so I will move on from that. For the first 45 minutes of this movie, non-stop laughter filled the theater, at times making it hard to hear the dialog. We are all far enough removed from this age that we can easily laugh about the parts that made adolescence traumatic at the time. (To preface Chaplin &/or Keaton, "Tragedy is a close-up. Comedy, a long-shot".) When her parents throw her a birthday party (without her blessing), a trio of mean girls show up with a "present" for Greta in the form of a song called "You've Got No Tits" (which I've had stuck in my head since last night). With that, Greta retreats to her room, and the dream sequence begins (hence, the title). The heroine's quest for a music box that ensues is a perfect allegory for navigating the space between childhood & womanhood. This was the first foray into film for director Rosemary Myers & I look forward to seeing more of her work on the big screen.

This is a coming of age film with a difference. It starts off pretty typically: a teenage Greta on the brink of adulthood struggling to navigate her new world. Starting at a new school and having a 15th birthday party looming forced on her by her well-meaning but clueless mother, she's faced with making some tough decisions regarding the relationships in her life. But after having a falling out with her new best friend at her party, the tone of the movie does a complete 180 as Greta falls asleep and enters a strange dreamland where she's forced to confront her fears about growing up, say goodbye to her childhood and rethink how she views the people in her life. While I really enjoyed this film, I don't think it was adapted from the play very well. The dialogue, direction, style of acting and even some of the special effects are much more suited to the theatre than the cinema. The actors for the most part do an excellent job, but they can't quite shake the staginess of it. Despite it's flaws, it's easy to get lost in the fun, quirkiness of the film and I challenge you to not fall in love with the characters!

"Girl Asleep" (2015 release from Australia; 77 min.) brings the story of Greta, who is almost 15 yrs. old. As the movie opens, we are informed that it is "First Day, New School" and we see Greta trying to fit in. She is approached by geeky Elliot, who takes an immediate liking to her. After school, we get to know Greta's family (her goofy dd, her controlling mom, and her rebellious older sister). When mom decides that Greta should have a big birthday party, Greta is mortified at first, but then gives in. The day of the birthday party arrives... To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie is unlike anything that I have seen in a long time. It's both a coming of age movie as it is a fantasy movie. How so? Because midway into the movie, the movie takes a left, then a right, and then another left and ends up going back-and-forth between the birthday party and Greta's dreams when she nods off during the party. Doesn't make sense to you? No worries, mate! Just go with the flow. There is a long scene during the party where Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" blasts away and the entire group is dancing in unison to the song. Perfect! (The movie is set sometime in the 70s, so this fits in nicely). There are some wonderful performances from this no-start cast, notably Bethany Whitmore in the role of Greta. I noticed in the end credits that the movie is based on a theater play. I can't even imagine what that must've been like, but the movie certainly didn't feel like a staged play. Bottom line: the movie rolls by in no time, and I enjoyed it quite a bit."Girl Asleep" opened this weekend without any pre-release fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. I really didn't know anything about the movie, and simply took a flyer on it. So glad I did. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so, which didn't surprise me, given the lack of marketing or buzz around this film. A darn shame, if you ask me. Sometimes it's nice to be surprised with a movie the likes of which you don't get to see very often. If you are in the mood for something very different that is charming, quirky and funny, I'd readily suggest you seek out this movie, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Girl Asleep" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Napoleon dynamite meets Pans Labyrinth, not in a good way.This film was beautifully shot with a very faithful recreation of 70's Australian fashion and style down to the Eames replica couches and hotted up HQ panel van. But sadly falls flat with a distinct lack of narrative tension and confusing fantasy element which adds nothing to the film.Despite the very accurate recreation of the physical world of the 70's, much of the dialogue feels very out of place, reminiscent of new-age psychobabble of the 2010's. There are a few solid jokes all relating to aspects of the 70's we'd rather forget, but far from enough to entertain for the 90 minute run time.Do yourself a favour, go watch Napoleon Dynamite or Pans Labyrinth, and give this one a miss.