Dakota Skye

I was at the Phoenix Film Festival this weekend, and it was one of the strongest batch of quality films I've seen at a festival. There were none of those high- profile stinkers (like Hound Dog) that always seem to slip into these showcases. Just good cinema.

By far the Best of the Fest was a little film called DAKOTA SKYE. It's a coming of age story (strike 1) with no stars (strike 2). But the film does not deserve to go back to the lockers. This should be seen by the widest audience possible. (At the fest, I saw a similar remarkable film, the already acclaimed American Teen. This was even better.)

And while it's about a 16 year-old girl growing up in Phoenix, the film is not your typical coming of age drama...not even close. There's a (let's say) superhero element that makes the film completely unique (without relying on its gimmick like say, What Women Want.) The ingenious script by Chad Shonk (who so deserved the Award he won) merely uses his gimmick as a jumping off point, to explore issues of trust. I am not the target audience for this film, yet it spoke to me in a way I would not have expected. (It's even more exceptional that the film was written, produced and directed by men, yet is such a strong woman's picture.)

And the cast may not be stars, but they can Act, with a capital A. Eileen Boylan gets a star-making part as the emotionally conflicted Dakota. She plays well off of Ian Nelson and J.B. Ghuman as the two men in her life. Each performer brings a different energy to the film, and you can see what appeals to Dakota and draws her to both guys. (The conflict is highlighted in an amazing movie theater scene that contains some of the film's best dialogue and most subtly powerful direction.) Nelson shows the skills of a solid leading man, while Ghuman should be required casting for any filmmaker looking for an actor who can steal the movie. His mixture of jerkiness and emotional sincerity should be taught to other actors of his generation who keep messing parts like this up.

The film is really well edited. For a dialogue-heavy film, there's a lot of montages and they feel carefully planned, not scraped together out of whatever footage was lying around. (Something that you come to expect to find in a first-time Indie film.) And it's all tied up with a light and bouncy score that knows when to come in and when to let the actors do the heavy lifting.

I learned this is the feature debut of director John Humber, and I can't wait to see where he goes next. This is an assured first film (like the best parts of Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides or David Gordon Green's George Washington.) My big fear is that, with no stars to push, the film will get lost on the festival circuit and we will all lose out on one of the most exciting filmmakers I've seen in a while. I urge everybody to mark this page, google the film, do whatever you have to. If this film comes to your town, DO NOT MISS IT. If you happen to be on a festival committee, don't be so quick to give it a pass. (Like Hustle & Flow, the film gets better and better as it goes on.) You'll want to say that you played this film and supported this filmmaker. (He also gives an excellent Q&A.)

DAKOTA SKYE, the best independent film that isn't getting enough attention.

p.s. I was inspired to write this review because I worry the film won't get released in theaters or come out on DVD. And I really want to own this film on DVD. I don't want the festival to be the one and only time I get to watch it.

Watching Dakota Sky was like breathing sweet air on a quiet summer evening. The writing is almost pitch-perfect - a quality that is this movie's stand-out feature, for me. The characters are honestly developed and well-acted. The film's structure and pacing are very fine - almost perfect.

The only downside is that the story is slight. (More drama, depth and complexity would have made this a better film - a different one, too, of course. I think the writer, director and cast could have handled it.)

Considering the budget, this is an outstanding production overall, and worthy of attention.

(I wanted to know more about the producer, director, writer and actors, and was disappointed to find that no one has produced Wiki pages for most of these creative artists, as yet.)

I just saw this movie at the Phoenix film festival where it won the award for best screenplay. The writing was very deserving of the award. The story is terrific and the dialogue very believable. The apathy and cynicism she has developed over the years with her ability to see through the lies of others plays very well and is very relatable because we have all felt that way at some point in our lives when we have seen through a lie that we had once believed in. The story is a very realistic exploration of the meaning and definition of truth and what role it plays in our lives. All of the actors were of believable age as well, which is often hard to find in a film involving high school age characters. Terrific movie well worth seeing and I hope it makes it into wider distribution.

I had read so many good things about Dakota Skye, that I had to track it down and give it a spin. I agree with some of the positive things that have been said about it. The young actors that are the stars were uniformly wonderful and believable. The direction and acting all shared an organic feel, that made it easy to get into the vibe of the movie. 

Other than that, I wasn't really wowed by Dakota Skye. The story is interesting enough, and Dakota's ability, while fantastical, actually serves as the emotional groundwork of the movie. Dakota's personality is perfectly reasonable, given her circumstances. I know I'd be as cynical and jaded as she occasionally was. Maybe even more. It's refreshing to see such a well-written character. But beyond that, the movie was never much more than a mildly enjoyable experience. Decent, but not great. I liked the idea more than its actual execution.

There are few times as a movie watcher when you get to be there at the beginning. By the time a directors name gets tossed into the open arena of critics and fans alike, they have already created a handful of theatrical visions and you find yourself scouring Netflix or Blockbuster trying to walk backwards through their cinematic resume. Well, this is one of those few times where you can say you were there when. In a small number of years you can act snobby at parties and brag about how you saw this feature length debut years before anyone knew about the following successes. What's better than having intellectual ammo at the ready to feel superior about? Not much.

Let's talk about the movie first, before we get into the behind the scenes masterminds. Dakota Skye is a superhero tale with a twist. Dakota is a young girl, only medium cute (a line from the movie, which is terribly inaccurate) and she has a secret power. No one can lie to her. Anytime someone distorts the truth around her, their real meaning and honest thoughts appear in front of her like subtitles in a foreign film. You might think this would be a great power to have, but once you start realizing how much people lie and what they really feel about you, life can seem pretty bleak. This is where Jonah comes in, a pleasant tinged stoner who seemingly never tells a lie. Meeting Jonah throws Dakota's world into a spin because there are only two answers, either her powers don't work on him or he really is the last honest person on Earth. Let the teenage confusion and angst begin! The movie is really centered around the relationship between Dakota and Jonah, which places a large amount of the success on the shoulders of Eileen Boylan (as Dakota) and Ian Nelson (as Jonah). Thankfully both step up to the task. The chemistry on screen helps the audience sink into their world, reminding us about that time when we met the first person who got underneath all our walls and social defenses. Eileen shuffles her scuffed jeans and worn-in Chucks through a performance balanced between one part slacker, one part dreamer and one part trail blazer. Top off with a dash of jaded teenager forced to grow up too fast and you have the incarnation of Dakota. Her adorable presence on screen and earnest moments really center the film and keep the audience tuned in. Coming in to lend his assistance is Ian with a humble smile, honest face and almost effortless delivery. Certain scenes for him felt so natural it could have been mistaken for improv, just letting him go and feel the moment as it happened. You can expect to see both of these young actors in the coming years, that is, if you haven't already caught Eileen in Greek and Making Change and Ian in Bratz and True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.

Now both of those performances would not have been possible if not for the delicate touch of director John Humber. This is his first feature film and I can guarantee it won't be his last to reach the silver screen. Dakota Skye has the feel and rough edges of a debut filmmaker, but there is a vision, a concept and a level of skill that cannot be denied. The whole story is visually told with delicate pacing, filled with engaging moments, leading up to a beautifully touching final scene right out of any major motion picture we see today (specifically in the romance genre, that is). If this is the beginning of a career, all I can say is I am excited to see what's coming down the line.