Unpacking

This movie is a rare treasure. Yes, I laughed and cried. It's reminiscent of "The Breakfast Club" - a group of archetypes together. We have the "aggressive progressive," the mom who's never taken the time to be her own person, the sexually-liberated one into crystals, the free-spirit and rules-follower sister duo, and the culture- appropriating yoga teacher. I'm a middle-aged woman (hence the John Huge reference) and I've been through many self-help rounds depicted here. It was cathartic to be able to laugh at them without feeling laughed at. Because what this film does incredibly well is show that we're all more complex than any caricature, and just trying to do the best we can. The cinematography and soundtrack are beautiful- but a warning to any fellow vertigo warriors that sometimes the quick camera movements can be triggering. I was very fortunate to see the directors/writers along with many cast members interviewed at the Independent Film Festival and was so inspired to learn about the movie's cooperative creative structure. Unpacking guides us, gently and without being preachy, towards a better way.

We were lucky enough to see the world premier of "Unpacking" in October of 2022, and we were truly blown away. The film has the perfect balance of gravity and levity, and just the right mix of drama and laugh-out-loud moments. It's so refreshing to see dynamic, complex portrayals of female characters - and so well acted, as well. The making of the film is fascinating in and of itself, and the organic and spontaneous nature of the production is evident in the natural feel and effortless flow of the film. I'm thrilled that the film has been doing so well - deservedly so - and can't wait to see what else the team creates in the future!

As a 30-something woman, I deeply relate to so many of the issues brought up in this film, and I appreciated how direct & authentic the script brought out real life scenarios. I also found it so endearing and comedic - awkward and silly in some parts, and hilariously accurate to the less than perfect moments we all face in life. All emotions wrapped up into an hour and a half. Great acting, and I loved the soundtrack! I was lucky enough to see this on the big screen for their world premiere showing! I look forward to seeing these faces and names in future features - and I wish the whole team, cast & crew, wildly successful careers in the film industry!!

I enjoyed this film very much. It was like a book page turner . The way each of the characters personalities unfold is well done in the context of a retreat setting . Made me laugh and choke up . I thought the ending seemed a little abrupt but I think they were going for that. They touched upon the woo woo aspect of the retreats methods but still selling the idea that there was merit into the experience. Each character brought their own story to the retreat and the writers expertly wove the stories into a cohesive whole . This film could be a boom to the retreat vaacation business! More from this group!

This is a very enjoyable film. I felt I could identify with parts of each of the 5 women, and the workshop leader as well. The script doesn't shy away from creating complex characters with all the contradictions and struggles of real life people. It's concise and moving, and beautiful to watch.

I think it must be difficult for a film to rise above the noise with all the mounds of "content" being created these days but this film deserves to be seen! The fact that the filmmakers work together as a collective is also quite inspiring to me. I'm sure they had their moments but the end product is beautifully done.