All Over Me

The setting is Hell's Kitchen, the time the 90s, the lead characters, some confused, angst-ridden teens.

There's not much plot here, nor much character development. Just a brief walk on the wild side of big city life.

Focusing on a sensually ambivalent girl and her off and on lovers and acquaintances, there are very good performances and atmospheric details to savor.

Competently directed, with a rich rock track, these short vignettes explore a feminine teen scene rarely depicted in films. Make no mistake, though, this journey is definitely not for everyone, and only those who have the energy, stamina and interest in examining tough urban life from a young feminine perspective, will be rewarded.

I just watched this film on IFC and was really impressed with how well done it was, the acting is really fantastic as well. This one was a sweet story and had real depth of the people we watched in the film. Bravo all around!

All Over Me is a film that isn't so much about telling a story as much as it is about feelings and emotions within the characters that are not so obvious at first. The intentions and desires of the characters unfolds as the movie progresses at a very slow pace, and the dialog is intentionally bland, not sharp in any way, as if it was real life. There is no attempt by the filmmaker or actors to make this look like it is a movie, beyond some rather artsy shots here and there. It is simply a window into a young girls life and the small, confused, somewhat corrupted world that surrounds her while she is making another transition in her development in life. This is a very subtle film with very few shifts in tone. The action that leads to the most drastic shift in the film is not even seen, only talked about later on. Even the more climatic moments result in not much happening, though tension does build on a number of occasions. The acting is top notch. In fact, the acting is so superb that it almost makes me wish that the script had just a little more zing to it since the actors could have definitely pulled off some colorful dialog and made for some classic scenes. Regardless of that, All over Me is a good enough film, though if you can't get into the characters or want to see a movie that feels like a movie and not a documentation of life, you won't dig it.

Claude (Alison Folland) and Ellen (Tara Subkoff) are best friends in New York. Claude is struggling with her sexuality. Luke is a gay musician who moves into Claude's building. Jesse (Wilson Cruz) is a local gay teen. Ellen spends time with volatile boyfriend Mark (Cole Hauser). His friend Gus (Shawn Hatosy) keeps hitting on Claude. Luke gets into an argument with Mark and then Luke is later found murdered. Claude falls for indie musician Lucy (Leisha Hailey). Mark pushes Ellen into drugs as her friendship with Claude cracks under the pressure.

It's a coming-of-age drama with a bit of bite. Folland's performance is naturalistic. Hauser and Subkoff show their acting skills. The filmmaking is raw for newcomer Sichel sisters. It is amateurish at times but the story and the actors are compelling enough to maintain focus. This deals with many edgy subject matters but it keeps it within Claude's struggle for love. That makes this a more touching exercise than other tougher contemporary indies.

by far one of the best coming of age films i've seen in a long time. deals with the trial and tribulations of teenager claude and her best friend ellen and follows their daily lives in hell's kitchen. claude clearly holds a torch for ellen who has an attraction to a local street thug named mark. claude eventually meets up with a local musician and cutie named lucy played leisha hailey of the l word fame. i liked how the relationship was developed and portrayed between between lucy and claude. the awkwardness and pangs of first love. the soundtrack to the film also kicked some serious ass as it used a lot of indie artists and girl bands from the nineties. definitely a keeper.