Up There

Has its flaws, but an absolutely wonderful performance from Zoe Kanters makes it worth the watch.

It's possibly a sad reality that many Americans, who lost family or friends to a senseless act, a mass shooting, random... As the line is uttered: "I met this girl and 10 years ago her parents and three best friends were killed in a shooting, right. And then..."

"Why would that interest me? Why do I care about a story that happens every week in America? We've all been shot at. Most people don't know it because they haven't been hit."

I'm an Australian, with family and friends in US and every couple of days I hear of a shooting at a school, a church, a shopping centre, a car park... I am saddened, but it seems to be desensitizing Americans, it's becoming the norm

This movie shows, even if fictitious, what it can do to surviving family... I think it was a good movie, good story, good acting, deserve my 8 stars! And I can understand the 10 star rating by some as it may hit home even more for them! The low rating comes from reviewers who may not "feel" much anymore.....

The story was fresh and unique, but the ending provoked more questions than answers and not in a "use your imagination" type way. The movie explores several story lines that ended up being unnecessary because of how sudden it ended.

The 10/10 ratings are rather suspicious. The cast and crew presumably had fun making the movie and it's technically sound. The lead players (Zoe Canters and Daniel Weingarten) have some comic ability, but the other actors are very uneven. Canters and the Director push the " quirkiness " of her role to the extreme. The story involves an awkward romance which culminates in some surprise outcomes. There's a bit of local color involving small town characters, but they don't get much of a look-in. Whether there is a raison d'etre for the movie depends on personal taste.

This film tells an authentic, heartfelt story and features bold performances by the three main actors. It is beautifully shot in Michigan's UP, and (as the title suggests), you really do have a feeling while watching the film that you're somewhere else, somewhere remote. As the drama mounts toward the end, there are scenes taking place in long, uncut stationary takes. The emotional momentum is able to really build in these actor-driven scenes, directly connecting you to the movie's emotional core. Thumbs up!