The Ocean of Helena Lee

I'm into surrealism and quick dream-like shots that all come together to tell a story. It's the way I write my novels, and it's how I love my movies. This bright and shining gem is one of the best films I have seen in a long, long time. People who like A to B narrative won't like it, and people who don't like the heavy questions about God and love and why we are even here will hate it. But, if you have asked questions in your life--the deep ones--and if you just so happen to like the music of Maria McKee (LONE JUSTICE), and you adore precocious and never-bratty early teenagers--especially ones who are making their first-ever film--then this one is for you. So don't miss it. Films like this are so rarely made. Bravo to all involved in this project. 10 big stars for excellence.

I wasn't quite as blown away by this as I was by Akin's amazing debut film "After the Triumph of Your Birth", but I still quite liked it. It stayed with me in the days after I saw it, and I look forward to seeing it again. Akin has a great eye for images, a good touch with actors, a strong ear for music (in collaboration with his wildly talented wife, singer/songwriter Maria McKee), and - most important - a unique voice as a film-maker. We've all seen too many coming-of- age films, but this one feels different, fresh, poetic, oddball and honest enough that it rarely feels like 'we've been here before'.

A very bright 12 year old girl (Moriah Blonna) lives with her charming, often sweet and funny, but also self-involved and self-destructive surf-bum dad (Tom Donne) on the edge of the human sideshow that is Venice beach. The key woman in their lives – his wife, her mother – died 2 years ago, leaving a gaping hole that she's too young to fully grapple with, and he's too damaged to really repair. So he hides behind booze and women, and she prowls the beach and has visions of her mother, in search of answers and meaning, trying to figure out how to grow up without any truly functional parents. But if that sounds depressing, know that the film keeps alive a rueful sense of humor and an off beat sense of poetry - visual and structural - amidst the emotional challenges.

The story is essentially a series of set pieces, and some work better than others. There are moments that feel too self-conscious, or heavy handed. But for every one of those, there are several lovely poetic moments where Akin captures the ephemeral simultaneous wonder and terror of growing up in a crazy, beautiful but difficult world.

Life has no meaning, so fool yourself. This seems to be the protagonist and filmmaker's philosophy, and as a result you don't get much concrete meaning out of the film. While we don't gain insight to any of life's big questions posed endlessly throughout, this isn't the filmmaker Jim Akin's intention. I can only speculate that his intent was to come to terms with his own childhood in creating a portrait that was honest to him, and avoiding answers felt right.

However, I don't want to downplay this work by labeling it existentialism and leaving it at that. It certainly fits into that category, but there are delicate characters here with genuine philosophical needs. The protagonist's relationship with her father is intriguing as it shows the lack of security and comfort in her state of mind, having the constant influence of an irresponsible, nihilistic, but loving parent.

There is very little narrative to this film, and instead it just flows. It feels like a bunch of deeply personal and brief thoughts from a journal. They have little ties to one another and are very in the moment. I would say, however, that it's strange to hear the characters deliver these lines, as it doesn't feel natural, and monologues will come up out of no where that don't feel entirely motivated with the context. The things that the film wants to be "about" are merely ideas stated repeatedly but not investigated. For example, the film is about death because the protagonist contemplates death, but not because the film explores it through story or experience.

The film is visually interesting. As another reviewer said, there isn't one uninteresting frame. This adds to the poetic allure of the film as a whole and often to the individual scenes and how we're supposed to read them. I feel like the actual beach where the film is located would be unrecognizable from the film, as it's given a very distinct look and feel due to the cinematography. Conversations were nicely staged and often featured characters not making eye contact. My only complaint is that the visual style felt a bit too a la carte and employed all kinds of camera movements and shot types where it might have benefited from a more narrow palate.

Personally, I didn't get that much from the film. Certain people will, I think, who are secular and self-absorbed (not necessarily a bad thing). I used to be both those things but am not anymore, so this film was familiar but contrived for me personally.

You can feel its aspirations. But it doesn't get there. Why?

Trust me I've seen all the coming of age movies, and I love the genre. American Graffiti. Dazed and Confused. Inside Daisy Clover. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. The Trouble with Angels. And so on.

Many in this genre are episodic in nature and that's OK. There's something that holds it together though. And this one is just TOO loose. I really wanted to love the characters but it's so loose that I never found a reason to. And I grew up in a beach town too.

Great soundtrack. I love Maria McKee.