Blue My Mind

Blue My Mind follows Mia, a teenage girl, as she tries to find her place among the popular students in school while facing body transformations that question her identity in every way.

A fairy tale coming-of-age that finds meaning in the examination of identity in the most basic and natural sense with a dosis of body horror that turns its dream-like quality into a nightmarish tale of teen drama.

The movie's greatest asset is Luna Wedler's performance as Mia, a protagonist who conveys the often found dichotomy of teenage ache for emancipation while at the same time requiring the safe haven of childhood.

I see this movie as a poetic self-deletion movie. A young girl going through puberty and not able to cope and thus acts out. She's like many teens who don't feel like they belong, even to the point of thinking that they're adopted. The telling sign for me was the knife. I see it as she made the attempt and her friend found her in the tub. Letting her go at the end reminds me of Big Fish. That movie, like this one is double-meaning.

I wasn't quite sure how to categorize this film while watching it. As most fairytales go, there are some dark elements. There are hopeful themes, too. Overall this is different enough to be interesting and I found the cinematography in various scenes to be very enchanting.

Brühlmann's story blends the age of innocence with dark fantasy ad her protagonist deals with life changes, body issues and a sense of confusion about the future. Although she tackles a heavy amount of subject material in the film, "Blue My Mind" never goes full out horror, nor does it take itself too seriously. It is a well written, well acted metaphor for transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

The cast seem far stronger actors than their age, or the film's indie status would suggest. Characters are brought to life conveniencingly and affective. More drama that thrills, there are moments that could have taken the film a bit darker and with a little more horror. Still it wasn't really needed and the film doesn't hurt without, still as a 45 yr old man I could have related more. Or maybe more comfortable considering the material deals with female energies and becoming woman.

The special effects, though limited till the final act, are well produced blends of practical and slight CGI. All kept to a minimalist approach. Most of the film's ability to captivate is done so through brilliant story, cinematography and the human element. Overall "Blue My Mind" is a great dark fantasy drama appealing to fans of Animorph whimsy and coming-of-age drama.

I had no idea what the movie would be about. It seemed to be "just another" teen coming of age drama. There is more to that and I reckon most will already know it unless you are like me and try to watch movies with as little information as possible.

The acting is really good and apart from the usual stuff you may have seen in other movies (Thirteen and Bahnhoff Zoo are two that come to mind) has this otherworldy feel to it, that goes ... under your skin - no pun intended.

Apart from that, there are some sexual situations you may feel uncomfortable with, depending on your own sensibilities. Those do not just involve the main character girl (especially in one scene towards the end), but also video footage that is rather explicit and vividly showing sexual intercourse (pornograhic content you can find on the internet). It's just for a short moment, but in cast this ruins the movie for you, I thought you'd better know.

That all aside the movie ends in the only way that makes ... well sense in a way.