Distinctly understated, and to some extent playing with ideas we've seen before, I can appreciate that this isn't going to be for everyone. As it began I couldn't help but wonder what I was getting into, and it takes a while for any particular sense of plot or meaningful character to show up. As it does though, for those who are receptive to the approach taken, it's hard not to fall in love. The title belies a lovely, quiet duality as the picture follows two individuals: the titular figure, a mimic lifeform learning what it means to be human - and the young woman they have modeled themselves after, who is struggling to find her real self. There's a softly mesmerizing beauty in this exploration of humanity, and it's wonderfully gratifying that so much else about the film reflects that enchantment. Honestly, I think 'Imitation girl' is fantastic.
The first aspect to especially catch one's attention is the music, and therein lies one notable surprise. Composed between filmmaker Natasha Kermani and heavy and experimental music mastermind Kevin Hufnagel (!), the score is outstanding. Themes vary between haunting, warm, contemplative, charming, or sorrowful, and with those dynamics one may well assume that some parts stand out more than others - yet truthfully, each is just as strong as the next. Past this, it's a joy to see in 'Imitation girl' a representation to at least some extent of a culture and people that's direly underrepresented in cinema. As writer and director Kermani works to emphatically infuse a measure of her Iranian heritage into the picture, not least with the significant inclusion of Farsi in dialogue. Moreover, scenes including Neimah Djourabchi and Sanam Erfani further weave in small details that state, organically but pointedly, "We are here" - and it's so very welcome, not least because movies too commonly remain a tiredly alabaster playground.
With that, too: the cast themselves are tremendous, and themselves do so much to make 'Imitation girl' the rich, rewarding feature that it is. That goes for Djourabchi and Efrani in their considerable supporting parts, as well as Lewis Black (!) and Kevin O'Rourke in smaller appearances. Above all, though, star Lauren Ashley Carter is to be congratulated for turning in not one but two performances that are utterly terrific. Shifting between human Julianna or the unnamed imitation as scenes demand, Carter has a great opportunity to demonstrate her profoundly underrated skills as an actress, and as she excels she shows that she deserves far more recognition. The two roles are filled with their separate complexities and emotions, two beings who share delightful similarities and differences, and Carter navigates them with superb range and nuance, injecting both with personalities to mark them as wholly unique. There's a weirdly delicate balancing act going on between these two parts, and Carter's portrayals thereof, and therefore in the picture at large - but this is written and executed so deftly, by all on hand, that the result is characterized by astounding, satisfying finesse.
And, of course, Kermani's contributions are a gift. Her direction is marvelously adept as she guides her cast and orchestrates shots and scenes with telling mindfulness. Not one moment feels out of place or extraneous, and whether a shot is close-up or zoomed out, it feels like we're getting the utmost detail out of every instant. Her writing is somehow sharper still, letting the narrative slowly build on its own through each subsequent scene, each subsequent step in the path of Julianna and her other. As such it feels at first as though not much is happening, but both figures are flush with their own difficulties, and as their gentle arcs progress we as viewers can see how they are, individually, gradually becoming a greater complement of each other. This truth begins to take shape well before the fabulously fulfilling climax and ending rolls around - and once they do, the payoff is far more than I could have anticipated at the start.
Add in exceptional visual effects, super hair and makeup work, fetching costume design, crisp and vibrant cinematography, and otherwise unimpeachable technical craft, and frankly 'Imitation girl' impresses as being outright perfect. The low-key approach taken here won't sit well with all viewers, which I can understand, but the brilliant value herein - the earnestness, the heart, the smart and personal storytelling - absolutely outweighs any possible subjective shortcomings. I sat to watch 'Imitation girl' with uncertain or mixed expectations, and I'm instead blown away by what I've just seen. I adore this movie, and must give it my highest and most enthusiastic recommendation. If you have the chance to watch it, you must.
