Holy moly what a surprising gem... with soooooo many terrible movies coming out and finding a decent, let alone, a good movie is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Reminded me a bit of "Good Time," (Safdie brothers film) and I am certain the director was inspired by Good Time, from the opening of the interview to all the very tight shots of everything, documentary style, to the music. Also "Straight Time" (Dustin Hoffman) with the authentic style and BELIEVABLE acting. Never a dull moment from beginning to end, and this is coming from someone who basically gives 98% of movies coming out a bad review, and deservingly so.
From the cinematography, camera work, and music, this was just excellent and Audrey was amazing.
I literally had zero expectations of liking this, since I've been hitting 99 to 1 on finding good movies.
The story was unique and surprising.
This is what other indie filmmakers like Sean Baker should aspire to do. They have great natural approach to filmmaking, but lack story and excitement, as they have in this one.
The movie got better and better, which was even more shocking.
What a breath of fresh air that a movie has a great plot but never forgets about the characters and relationship, and most important, approaches it with such authenticity.
Emily certainly wasn't the most likable character nor brightest of the bunch and they may have made her a bit too dumb, which seemed a bit inconsistent to the rest of her interactions, like going against their simple instructions of what not to do. Usually, that is the writer being lazy or unable to come up with a better way to create drama and/or conflict, so that is my minor criticism.
Other than that, it was really good. In summary, I had know idea what to expect, but every minute was pleasantly surprising.
I can't give it ten stars, because it wasn't without any problems, which I normally would list, but since there are so few good films out I will leave it out because I do recommend this.
