Goldie

Living in a community shelter in the Bronx with her mother and two little sisters, teenager Goldie is running against time to gather everything she needs (including an expensive golden coat) for a promising gig. An aspiring free-style, hip-hop dancer, she runs through the streets of the borough, claiming her right to be free and young in New York City, while flirting, shoplifting, meeting associates and preparing herself to dance on a music video. When her mother is taken away by the cops, she runs away with her two little sisters trying to protect them from child services, avoiding separation and facing a harder task: responsibility. She won't give up on pursuing her dancing dreams, which will put her on the path of dangerous drug-dealers, and other unexpected obstacles, as she tries to survive and accomplish at the same time. Award-winning director Sam de Jong's sophomore feature film is a colorful, vibrant, realistic portrait of youth in the Bronx, addressing the struggles of empoverish Millennials and the incliments to criminality. Model Slick Woods gives a breakthrough performance as the protagonist, building up a charismatic, spontaneously funny and outrageously feminist character with truthful passion. The supporting cast also shines, a bunch of eccentric, modern-based youngsters whose priority in life is to have fun, especially Angela Griszell as the clueless Princess, and fully-tatooed Jose Rodriguez, as a promiscuous playboy. With the help of a brilliant redish tone cinematography capturing the warmth and heat of the streets and its people, and the pot-boiling situation, as well as a precise, animation-mixed editing, great soundtrack, director de Jong conceived a daring, engaging coming-of -age story. Nominated for the Crystal Bear Award at Berlin, he is definItely one filmmaker to watch.

The reason I felt inclined to leave a review is because this movie was beautifully shot. I don't know much about the time and effort it takes to man such a cinematic masterpiece, however the different angles, music, focused lenses, filters and transitions took TIME! This movie was beautiful, and I think unless you grew up watching black films it would seem very distant. Yet, the colors and vibrancy and textures throughout each scene spoke to the intensity of the character Goldie. An 18 year old who lost everything, even at the end for her to look in the camera it was like she was speaking to the audience. This movie wasn't just shot in the third person but in first person as well. It's soo many layers to this movie and unless you seek to learn something or seek to understand there won't be a transversal connection to the film. It's definitely not a film that is rushed so sit back and let the whimsical soul grasping movie unwind itself.

Uh... so the visual effects are really annoying and pointless. Not to mention apparently this girl "Goldie" can NOT dance which I thought this is what the movie is about. So there is that.

Story is terrible and it's not the worst. It's very hard to feel comfortable with the special effect done in the movie. Back to the story line, it's just terrible to see a teen girl deal with cops, money, drug, if you looking to watch a serious topic like that, can try.

"I'm 'bout to BLOW UP! Goldie ready for TAKE OFF!" (Slick Woods) Goldie is a multicolored drama centered on a titular 18-year old with enough ghetto attitude to fill two more dramas and talent to justify her goal of becoming a music video dancer. More importantly, she shepherds her two sisters, all three of them left by their recently incarcerated mom, in and out of seedy venues and homes to try to find a place, even if for a night.

Not easy to warm to, the tatted up, gap-toothed dynamo is nonetheless warmer inside than out. Her attention to her sisters despite the myriad disappointments her poverty and poor choices provide is what saves her from being another lost teen hoping to make it so she can save her family.

Another admirable quality about this slice of urban chaos is the colorful scene changers which complement her gold attire and hair and relieve the depression of her endless disappointments. The only light moment comes at the beginning when she announces her intention to "blow up" and "take off" while dancing at a family shelter show. Take off is tough to do.

Writer-director Sam de Jong has expertly navigated between the hope of a talented teen and the reality of homeless kids finding a home. In that way he has created a hybrid melodrama that more fully depicts the struggles of lost teens, their hopes and their dreams. The answer may lie in Goldie eventually listening to the adults who advise her to consult Children's Services.

Not a Hollywood ending but closer to reality than many of the fantasies from romanticized films about struggling families. The film Goldie is closer to a documentary than a fiction despite its promising opening show.