Adult Life Skills

In classic indie style, this is a gentle but fairly stylised portrayal of bereavement, survivor's guilt and moving on. For something billed as a comedy it didn't make me laugh much, but it did engage me enough that I sobbed throughout the closing credits, so it clearly did something right. A promising debut from director/writer/editor Rachel Tunnard.

I can think of 2 fun comedies that involve characters who live in a shed: "Almost Sharkproof" (2014) and this one "Adult Life Skills". Well then there's also Silence of the Lambs but that's something uh different.

As you might guess from the premise, "Adult Life Skills" is about a 30 year old woman who doesn't know what to do with her life. Socially and emotionally stunted for reasons you will learn early in the flick, "Anna" (Jodie Whitaker) is an overgrown adolescent who spends her days talking to her thumbs and who can't manage to put on a bra without severely embarrassing herself. With her 30th birthday looming, her mom gives her an ultimatum which is basically the entire plot of the film: move out of the shed. Get a life. And she has about 1 week to do it.

What we get is a cute, quirky, at times tragic, at times magical story about her reluctant attempted transformation into an adult. The film is very minimal, consisting of a shed, the bottom floor of a house, a childrens camp where she works, and the landscape of a tiny rural town where nothing seems to happen except that people occasionally die off. The whole production is marvelously carried by a witty script and some rapid fire banter in funny accents (I dunno, are they "accents"? Being from America I figure everything outside of Connecticut is an accent). The film's narrow scope works tremendously to its advantage as we are forced to scrutinize small details of everyday life rather than epic dramas of wars and romance. Although there are tragic themes, it's handled off camera so we see only how it affects the characters in an unspoken way. And although there is a slight romance angle here, it's done in a hilariously awkward way (the snogging scene had me in stitches).

There aren't too many films like this, but I might compare it to the excellent 2017 indie film "Izzy Gets the F* Across Town" which is entirely about a young woman trying to ...get the f* across town. Here we have a story that could've had the alternate title "Anna Moves the F* Out Of Her Shed". You've probably never seen a movie quite like this, so don't miss it.

Excellent filming and acting. Quirky, definitely yes. Slow at times, but if you have a natural curiosity about why so much weirdness is going on, you will be rewarded. This is a journey with real humans struggling with the grief that pervades their lives. Immensely satisfying finish. The low ratings come from people who like formula films that keep them entertained with action, not dialogue. If like reading books or plays built on dialogue between characters instead of titillation with thrills and suspense, you will love this film.

Started off kinda meekly, I was quickly losing interest when I thought I was about to waste my time on yet another childish portrayal of a delayed adulthood, shoulders stubbornly stuck in the vaginal walls of a happier past, a past that made sense -- whereas renting an apartment, paying bills etc, obviously doesn't.

Well. I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. Wruh-uh-ong. This is a great little movie -- funny, lighthearted, and still, the dramatic elements are so strong and wonderfully structured, proving entirely capable of planting a lump in your throat the size of a goddamned walnut.

Nothing more to say. Watch this. It's good.

A wonderfully emotive story that shows grief and humour can inhabit the same space and not only make sense but can be the perfect pairing. I found myself invested very early on thanks to Jodie Whittaker's particular portrayal of her character. There were at least three times when the expression on her face alone conveyed so much without words, that my eyes filled up. And then there'd be a segue into something that made me chuckle and force the tears to roll down my cheeks. Ozzy did a fabulous job as well, I can't imagine it was an easy ask for either of those leads to pitch it just right, but imho they nailed it. I really enjoyed the importance given to the soundtrack too.