Starfish

It's never easy to assign stars and ratings to movies or books. In this case it is particularly difficult and this can be a good thing. Halfway through the movie I found it simply pathetic and pretentious. In the end l had a different opinion, although I do not consider it the masterpiece that many consider. It strives to be an indie film, with indie songs, indie dialogues, indie narrative, indie art direction. For me, this doesn't work very well because it turns out to be partly, a deconstructivist work, which turns out badly in architecture and can't make wonderful films either. However, it is not a film to forget, it is another movie that keeps us waiting for the next ones. Clearly a story that originates in the author's intimate life, so perhaps for this fact it captivates many people.

It is very pretentious though. This is a one-man live action dream, a nightmare or a trip. It has a single track plot, nauseatingly slow with chaotic details and a few peekaboo scares. It reconnects with reality and speeds up closer to the end. Monsters and vfx here are not to amaze but to add to sophistication. Somber and ethereal music makes for a more enjoyable experience.

Some movies you have to "pause" when you go to the bathroom. This is the kind of movie that you can "start it" go wash your car come back and you would have missed nothing. In a one women show the turtle got voted "best new comer"... seriously though there's nothing here. Productuon values are good. Virginia Gardner the lead and only character in the movie is very good. The writer/director had nothing to say no story to tell. Well he did have a story to tell but seems he chose not to tell it or lost it in editing. Just kidding this movie was not lost in the editing room. Starfish is what you get when you have a kernel of an idea and a slightly smaller kernel of imagination. (6 turtle puns deleted out of respect for the 3 people who will read this review)

I've been excited to see "Starfish" since I saw the trailer a month or two ago - my expectations were wrong, but not in a bad way.

"Starfish" is a worthy entry in the indie sci-fi genre, it reminded me of the works by Zal Batmanglij & Britt Marling, and also Von Triers "Melancholia". Visually it's quite impressive actually, very simple, but carefully executed. Cinematography is rich and creative, editing's crafty and done with a sure hand, there's a subtle amount of decent cgi & color grading is on point. The visual atmosphere is accompanied by a fitting, raw original score.

The story is narrow, questions won't be answered & that's alright. Be warned and don't come looking for substance and logic in "Starfish". While there's not a lot of action (close to none) & the pacing is slow, even draggy at moments, it's the atmosphere and emotional side of the story that should hold your attention, it did hold mine, to some extent. Feel for the character, watch in silence and you might just get mesmerised by the simplest things - there were a few, short movie magic moments. Personally, I liked the drama part more than the sci-fi part, there are thoughts put in this film, however metaphoric. The main character, by the way, is acted out well, props for that.

A lot of people say that "Starfish" is unique - I disagree, it's been done before, different styles, maybe less style. There's no doubt that this is a style-over-substance kind of movie & I happen to love them. Oh and I would hardly call this a horror movie, it's a sci-fi drama. Who do I recommend this to? Art-house lovers, low-budget indie sci-fi fans & for those who like style-over-substance slow-burners. Those were my honest thoughts on this inside-out-indie avantgarde flick. My rating: 6/10.

I will always love discovering new filmmakers that clearly have the potential to grow throughout future projects. Even if their first outing doesn't quite blow me away, talent is talent, and I believe this exact statement is worthy of mentioning director A.T. White. Directing short films and working in the music industry, those are two very similar fields, in terms of expressing visual style in a short period of time. Starfish is his first official feature film to be given a wide release and although it does feel like an elongated, independent music video, there is also a lot to like here.

Following Aubrey, as she grieves the loss of her best friend, she also wakes up to realize most of the world has ended and she may be the only person living, among a few new creatures that have found a new resting place. The premise of this film alone is what sucked me in and many of the visuals held my interest, but I have to admit that the way this story is told kind of wore thin by the time Starfish reached its third act. I actually almost started disliking it when a certain fourth-wall moment happens, but I forgave it for not lasting too long.

As mentioned earlier, director A.T. White comes from a background of short films and music, which is why this movie felt like a long music video at times. Told through many bizarre visuals and many high-key dramatic scores, quiet is definitely not a term to describe this one. There were times when, even though very good, the score felt incredibly unnecessary, but I admire the desire to place music in certain scenes. Also composed by White, there's a clear vision here and all I can do is commend the effort.

Having worked with White in the past, Cinematographer Alberto Banares is another standout here. The way certain things are framed or manipulated was clearly done in-camera, which is always something I admire in any film. If for nothing else, this is a movie that benefits from a solid score, some superb cinematography, and very coherent direction that is seen through from start to finish. Having a talented star in Virginia Gardner (known most notably for Marvel's Runaways) didn't hurt either.

In the end, Starfish is a film that I loved in concept and enjoyed quite a bit throughout the first two acts, but I could see what it was going for and the revelations didn't work for me throughout the final few minutes. Everything about this movie is admirable, but that's all I really got out of it in retrospect. I can't recommend this movie to average filmgoers, but it may be worth a shot for those wishing to pursue a filmmaking career. There are a lot of impressive techniques throughout this movie.