Uma Estranha Amizade

STARLET is a bold and original independent film. It's not afraid to go places most indies would shy away from, mostly due to not landing a distribution deal etc. That is just one of the many reasons why STARLET has true independent spirit.

I saw STARLET at SXSW earlier this year and it was the most exciting narrative to come out of the fest. Sean Baker is a fearless filmmaker that has already established himself with a diverse body of work. He's one I'll be watching for a longtime to come.

And of course this short review/praise would be incomplete without mentioning the breakthrough performance by Dree Hemingway. You could tell she had complete faith in Baker and it showed in her performance. It's a risky role that she seemed to handle gracefully.

STARLET is a film that challenges it's viewers. It challenges our prejudices and preconceived notions, but it does so with a heart.

Honorable mention: The brilliant, and almost effortless, performance by the dog, "Starlet".

Our story starts with a young woman, Jane (Dree Hemingway), going to yard sales in search of items to brighten her drab bedroom. She meets an older woman named Sadie (Besedka Johnson)who sells her a thermos. Jane discovers that it contains about $10,000. This is the jumping off point for the story of Starlet.

The entire film is a story of revelation. We follow the natural progress of the women's lives and the development of their relationship. As they learn about each other, the viewer learns about the entirety of their lives. Jane is a cheerful woman who embraces life with a smile. Sadie is rather gruff and distrusting. The contrast in their personalities is rather a reverse of the Harold & Maude story (which the director cites as an influence).

Some of the revelations are mundane, some are surprising. Through it all, the unlikely pair forges what might be a friendship. The film is about the nature of friendship. What does it mean? Does it entail responsibilities as well as benefits? What are the commonalities necessary for friendship?

The director, Sean Baker, seeks cinema verite. The result feels like a slice from the lives of two distinctly different women. One is at the beginning of her adult life, the other is at the end. But neither has a real family, so there may be common ground after all.

Meslissa Maeve is a standout as Jane's roommate, Melissa. And a special mention should go to Boonee who plays Jane's dog, Starlet (actually the pet of the director) and steals some scenes.

The last revelation comes in the final scene. It is a scene much discussed on the message boards. Personally, I loved the scene. It is beautiful and revelatory at the same time.

A good movie about a young, energetic, friendly woman who, as a result of various circumstances, befriends a lovely, somewhat grumpy old lady. Not very original, as you've probably already surmised, there have been tons of movies, and TV shows covering the same relationship dynamic, and quite possibly the same basic outline. Some of those good, others bad, still others horribly bad and cliché, this however is 1 of the good 1s. The acting, directing and story-line were all good, resulting in a mellow, slow paced film with tiny peeks of highs and lows.

It's shot in suburban L.A. and has a distinct L.A. feel to it, at least it did to me, in the neighborhoods, the mountainous backdrops and perhaps too in the characters. I suppose that might not be really important, but I like to get engrossed in he cities and countries I see in movies.

The 1 bad thing I'd have to say about this movie though would be the ending, it seemed really abrupt, I assume the director/writer wanted us to mull over the last scene as we finished he movie but really it just left you wanting to see that scene/conversation played out and wanting the words that were implied to actually be spoken.

Overall a good movie, not great but good.

Starlet is a character study very much in the spirit of films from the 70s. I think the director was influenced by the likes of Hal Ashby and Paul Mazursky.

A young, slightly aimless woman who has just moved San Fernando Valley, buys a vintage thermos flask at a yard sale from a cranky old lady and discovers $10.000 inside. After making a half-hearted attempt to give it back, she keeps the money, but then feels guilty and tries to befriend the old woman, who remains guarded to the point of hostility at the prospect of having her life disrupted.

The film doesn't ever resort to cosy indie movie clichés about the old passing on their wisdom the the young and life lessons being learned. It also doesn't exploit the young woman's line of business for cheap melodrama, as lesser films would. Both lead performances are wonderful and a cute dog always helps.

The film looks and sounds gorgeous and the director has a knack for what to show us and what to leave out. It's another good case for digital film-making. Talented independent film makers can now make great looking films for peanuts, which is just as well considering Hollywood has almost completely given up on making films for adults.

BTW. the trailer makes this look like another anodyne "heart warming" indie, full of laughter and whimsy, when really it's a much more melancholy, ambivalent and subtle film.

STARLET (dir. Sean Baker) When 21 year old Jane discovers $10,000 in cash stuffed in a thermos that she bought at an old woman's yard sale, she tries to do the right thing and return the money. However, the old woman didn't know about the money (her long dead husband might have hidden the cash), so Jane befriends elderly Sadie in order to pay off the karmic debt. Because Jane's unusual occupation is not revealed until the film is almost half over, her illicit employment does not affect the natural relationship that grows between the two woman. A fine Independent film, and Dree Hemingway (Jane) and Besedka Johnson (Sadie) deliver exception performances. It must be mentioned that Jane's pet Chihuahua in the film is powerfully cute! Worth A Look.