Charlie

People don't make slow burn films much anymore and streaming channels know that many watchers are busy scrolling phones at the same time. This film unravels slowly (sometimes a bit slower than I am used to) but that forces the viewer to watch what is happening on screen and to engage with the plot and character story. We follow the main character through various scenes including flash scenes of previous traumas and it allows us to sit and experience his mental state as he draws, watches out the window or just hangs out. Its a film that makes you think and we need more of those than pure eye candy!

This isn't just a slow burn. It embers that smolder for 90 minutes with the two leads putting their hearts and souls into the film. The film uses a lot of long, lingering shots. So prepare to take your time to soak it all in.

This was an engaging drama which keeps the viewer in anticipation. Charlie has interesting and well thought out cinematography and contains great production value which aptly tells this coming of age story of a teen dealing with life challenges.

What a captivating and deliberately paced healing-of-the-soul. This story is written, directed and filmed by teenage Alec Ybarra, and I'm very impressed! I loved the subtlety of the dialogue conjunct the immense pain and internal chaos the main character is struggling to overcome. The tenderness between mother and son is a sacred relationship, and nicely executed in this film. "Charlie" is an intriguing story I would highly recommend!

Catastrophic reverberations set off by a teen's actions stay with him. Gavin White, who also wrote the piece, did an outstanding job as Charlie. There were some questions I would have liked to have answered and the pacing at times seemed slow, but this is definitely worth a look. Both Gavin and Alec Ybarra have promising futures and I would be interested in their upcoming projects.