So B. It

Well, it had potential, but only for those who need a pollyannish, feel good, everything turns out all right, comforting story to make their day. Real world, unfortunately needs a bit of help. Anyway, well acted although not much required. Major problems for those who are not intimate with the story is our young heroine has the God given ability to cheat at slot machines; mysteriously count beans in a jar along with other similar mysterious "gifts" that might have made a better story if used for humanity, etc. Also sex by institutionalized severe/profound disabled patients in a care facility in our state would have serious repercussions, but in this story is swept under the rug. Awkward editing; poor audio control; at times poor enunciation; combined with cost saving no subtitles made it difficult to follow what is important to the story - the dialogue.

This film has good intentions, but when all is said and done, it is little more than a sentimental tear-jerker. Heidi lives in an apartment with her mentally disabled mother and her next-door neighbor Bernadette. The apartment is actually Bernadette's, with her mother's apartment easily accessed through a removed closet panel.

Odd? Quite. Especially since Bernadette has no idea who pays for Heidi's mother's apartment. She met her right after she gave birth to Heidi, and no one ever came over to ask if she had seen Heidi's mother. Still with me here? Yes, Bernadette just decides to care for Heidi and her mother, instead of calling in social services or anyone else.

Apparently, she pays for all their food and clothes and other stuff, but sends 12-year-old Heidi, dressed to look like an adult, off to a slot machine place where she always wins lots of quarters. No joke. Bernadette also homeschools Heidi, so there was never a need for a birth certificate or any other form of identification. She obviously doesn't want Heidi to be taken away from her by anyone.

Bernadette has agoraphobia, you see, and really emotionally needs Heidi and her mother. Problem is Heidi is at an age where she wants to know who her father is, why her mother has no relatives, and doesn't even have a real name. (Bernadette calls her "Precious".) So, after looking at photos in her mother's apartment for the very first time in 12 years, off Heidi runs away to the east coast to find answers.

It's a long bus trip from Reno, Nevada, but Heidi gets to where she is going, and soon finds answers to all her questions. It's really not much of a story and not particularly believable, both Heidi's family story and the movie's story. Yet, from reading reviews, it appears to be a story some viewers found very touching. If you are the type of viewer who has a box of tissues nearby, do give the film a try.

An American family drama; A story about a young girl who travels across America to understand more about her mother's past. This is a film to be regarded for excellent individual performances and much less for the plot, which is not very plausible, but there is flair and style in the way it is told. The actress playing the precocious child captures the conflict within her, one who feels responsible for her autistic mother more than she might be emotionally equipped to process and handle. But it is the portrayal of Mama, the mother, where the issue lies. Lacking agency, she does not, as a character, serve the plot, confining her to the fringes. The result feels false and convenient for the story. It is a family film with a good heart nonetheless and avoids being mawkish or cloying, but the film ends conveniently with a neat line under the issues the young girl would face.

Movie is a story about a girl trying to find her self, with lots of questions and not a lot of answers. I don't know if it was the production that made the movie the way it is for editing but it's very long drawn out very hard to keep attention and follow the storyline.

This is an enjoyable movie. An easy watch. It is not profound or life changing and you'll likely forget about in a couple of months, but if you're looking to pass some time on a Sunday afternoon, it'll do.