Baby Girl

I wasn't gonna write a (bad) review.

But after reading insultingly fake reviews, I had to. I don't care if no one comes across this title to even see the reviews; I'm doing this for historical purposes just in case.

This is where I draw the line: So the writer is Brandon Trask, according to iMDB and the review that I will post here verbatim to show how stupid these people think viewers are to think we wouldn't notice how fake this is:

"Sexy thriller wtrask-3401517 May 2019 I usually watch comedies and Hallmark movies. This is certainly not one of them! But I really enjoyed it. Great acting and script, plus exceptional cinematography, music and special effects. The ending did not disappoint. A thumbs up."

Written by W. Trask. See that? T.r.a.s.k. So either there's some nepotism going on here, or the writer is catfishing good reviews. Now I will not leave a decent review. Do not insult viewers!

Also, they said "normally I watch comedies and Hallmark." I am personally offended because I love Hallmark/I am subbed to them and Lifetime too. What's wrong with that? And this movie thinks that the people saying we don't like this if we like comedies/Hallmark is so far detached from reality up their own backhole that they think the issue is that this film is too "dark" for us. Newsflash, a raging lightning storm is darker than this film lol. In all honesty, though, I do not even know how "dark" this movie is because I can't stomach going further supporting someone who catfishes and nepotizes reviews. I will agree that the neon colors against the nocturnal urban background is...cool, sure, but it was kinda wasted on this movie simply because of the pretentious performances. Kudos for making a film, though, and for being creative, but skroo you for those insulting reviews.

No real plot. Sex scenes without any depth. The lines between reality and truth were blurred. A change in the marital relationship happened throughout the story. I guess that was the point of the couple's relationship with inevitable exploration at the end. The movie was too long and so boring a fellow movie attendee was snoring loudly throughout. Even with some explicit scenes. The dominant younger man overtakes the obedient middle aged wife turning her into her supposedly untapped desire. Then her female assistant uses her obtained knowledge of the affair to gain advancement. Too many holes in the storyline. A complete disappointment and a waste of money.

Not only is the story poorly written, but the acting was cringeworthy, the likes of which I've never seen. Because the rating was so Hugh, I finished it thinking it would evolve, but only turned cliqued. Do not watch this movie, or anything this girl ever acts in, if she ever gets a job again in her life.

I forget how I came across this in the first place, but the premise seemed promising with a lot of potential. Even the first couple of minutes however, feel brusque, forced, and heavy-handed. That impression will not change, sadly, and is reflected in most every capacity: dialogue, characters, scene writing, acting and delivery, direction, editing, lighting, cinematography, production design and art direction, and somehow even in the sound design, hair, makeup, and costume design. In fact, "brusque," "forced," and "heavy-handed" mostly feel like overly polite descriptors, for some instances (of dialogue especially) are just plain awful. I appreciate the work that everyone put into this, and I hope they grow in their skills and find success in the future. I appreciate what this could have been, and I don't think it's unfair to suppose that most folks who take enough interest in it to actually watch are here for the suggested LGBTQ representation, whatever form it takes and whatever the resultant quality. Unfortunately, in this case, (presumably) earnest intentions don't amount to anything, and 'Baby girl' simply isn't very good.

I don't think overall that it's 100% irredeemably rotten. I recognize skill among the cast and crew that might flourish given the opportunity. There were, perhaps, some good ideas here. None of those ideas are treated well, however, and the ends to which all skill is guided is far less than great. Pretty much from the very start the viewing experience is laborious, and none of the drama carries any of the weight that it should - not the domestic drama, not the domestic violence, not the trauma, not the depression and self-harm, not the spiral into vices and antisocial behavior, not the manipulation and exploitation, not any of it. Ninety minutes crawl at an agonizingly slow pace, both in terms of the presentation itself and how it comes across while watching; at one point I glanced at the digital timer and was aghast to find that I hadn't even hit the one-third mark. Meanwhile, if one has come here for the promise of lesbian romance, well, suffice to say that what we get is outweighed by what we have to sit through for it. And the longer 'Baby girl' drags on, the further away we seem to get from any value that it might have possibly held.

Oh hey, I think I remember now how I came across this; star Sara Catherine Bellamy had a small part in Damien Chazelle's 'Babylon.' I loved 'Babylon!' That's the only connection, however, and there is no comparison: neither director Kevin Van Stevenson nor writer Brandon Trask are Damien Chazelle, and where 'Babylon' is a great but imperfect film, this is a rather floundering film that has a hard time illustrating its worth. There was the chance that this might have been a deserving, meaningful picture. To be that, however, would have required a far more measured, delicate, nuanced, tactful, careful, mindful approach, in every regard. Why, a complete tale is told, and on paper it's compelling, but it's incohesive and barely coherent, the sequencing is rubbish, and the final product comes across as unfocused and disjointed; more than that, I get the sense that Van Stevenson and Trask couldn't figure out exactly what they wanted their feature to be. I repeat that I hope all grow in their capabilities and prove themselves in the future, but as it stands 'Baby girl' stumbles all over itself and flails desperately in the vain hope of grasping at profundity that's far beyond its reach. Whatever you think you'll get out of this, you're best served looking elsewhere.

Acting talent must not have been on the checklist when they cast this one. That being said, the dialog and emotional depth of the story wasn't ever going to make anyone a star. The only thing interesting was Diablo and her dangerous, freaky chick vibe. That can't exactly carry a film, though.