I Believe in Unicorns

When I first saw "I Believe in Unicorns" I was immediately struck by its power; completely enamored by its sheer beauty and the importance of its narrative. What specifically struck me was how unabashedly truthful it is, unapologetically entreating us to understand a young girl's plight for serenity and what that may mean. Its pendular narrative dances between fantasy and reality revealing how a girl copes and ultimately accepts the brutalities and pain of the world in which she lives; rightfully redefining the "coming of age" genre entirely. The film really spoke to me, and I believe it to be a must see for every woman of any age.

While most of the reviews here give this movie high scores, the overall score of 6.1, as shown on the main page, as I write this, is far more accurate. The scores of "10" that some people gave here is an insult to the great films of Kubrick, Scorsese, Coppola, and many others. A "10" means a film is perfect; this doesn't even come close to meeting that standard.

I suspect this movie is more than a bit autobiographical, since Leah Meyerhoff cast her own mother as the mother in the film. I'll give Toni and Leah Meyerhoff credit for that; it must be hard for a person with a disability to appear in a film playing themselves. I would have given the film 5 stars if not for that.

But beyond that, the film is too artsy, and far too pretentious. The stop-action animation didn't add anything to the film, in my opinion. In fact, I saw it as a way to cover up the thin writing in the script. The thin writing was further shown by the run time of the movie: 1 hour and 18 minutes. Mercifully short.

Hopefully teen girls watching this might learn a lesson about falling in love with a boy simply because he is cute. But probably not; if anything, they will emulate the lead girl in the film because they think this film is showing them a step they need to go through as part of the maturing process. I hope that isn't true.

Anyway, the movie is a quick little diversion, but nothing with any deep significance or value. I see it as a vanity project on the part of the writer/director, nothing more.

I Believe in Unicorns, is a nice starting point for director Leah Meyerhoff (it's her first feature film). It has a great leading performance by Natalia Dyer, interesting usage of stop motion animation representing the memories and imagination of the movie's leading girl and an interesting twist on the generally familiar myth of the unicorn. On the other hand, it's not as original as its creator believe, and it has a big problem with the pacing and a smaller problem of the potentially loaded relationship between Davina and her mother, to which the director keeps implying but never really explores, while she does explore the relationship between the young lovers whose direction is figured out long before the movie get's there. When an 80 minutes movie feels too long, it means the director has a problem. Still, for her feature film debut Leah's command of the media is impressive, there's every likelihood she'll get the pace better next time.

I Believe in Unicorns is a poignant, down-to-earth look at the complications of coming of age and young love. Having first seen this film when I was in my early teens, it emotionally affected me on a personal level and has carried with me throughout my high school years.

One of the film's strongest points is its aesthetic beauty. With gorgeous cinematography and inventive use of stop-motion, the film visually carries along like a dream, or somebody's hazy, nostalgic memories of a summer long ago. It sinks us deeper into Davina's fantasy world and lets us see the world through her naive, rose-colored glasses. Anybody who's a fan of cinematography will adore this movie.

Davina is an interesting character- shy and naive, perfectly portrayed by Natalia Dyer. She's caught up in her own fantasy world, which blinds her from the truth of her prince charming, Sterling. He becomes increasingly violent, up until the film's explosive end. The film doesn't shy away from showing Sterling gradually take advantage of Davina's naivety and purity, and we're given a raw, realistic look at abuse and the rough waters of youth. We're taught a cautionary tale along with Davina, and this film is an essential watch for any teenager.

This is an honest, well-composed film with a unique style.

I Believe in Unicorns takes you in to the mind of a teenager as she struggles with what life has given with her. It shows her inner turmoil and hopes using fantastic imagery. And even though it is full of imagination, it presents a realistic picture of this young lady's life. It does not offer some "great solution" to life's problems. Instead,it shows the pain of growing up and facing the world for what it is - often disappointing and not all we wish it could be.

Though it is definitely geared towards a female audience, if you understand that film is an art form and not an amusement park ride - whether you are male or female - you will enjoy this coming of age picture. Try it out. It's worth it.