Come Find Me

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer-director Daniel Poliner delivers two movies in one. And while that may be a real value when shopping, it can be a bit counterproductive in moviemaking. We begin with the story of Christina (Victoria Cartagena, "Gotham"), a Latina senior associate on the Partner path at her law firm, despite the unrealistic expectations from her boss. Christina is stressed-out and beaten down. She's worried about a pro bono client who can't seem to shake her abusive boyfriend. Christina is also trying to help her mother straighten out her finances, and if all that isn't enough, she just found out she's pregnant ... the father is another lawyer in the firm.

This first section of the film draws us in to Christina's saga. She clearly cares about her career, while understanding that a step off the fast-moving treadmill would probably do her good. Her mother Gloria (Sol Miranda, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") is frustrated that Christina doesn't visit her more often and the two seem to have an unsettled relationship. Once this story has us hooked, filmmaker Poliner abruptly shifts gears, and this becomes Gloria's story two years later. She's a career teacher-principal at an inner-city school and is nearing retirement ... and it's the week of Christina's wedding, which means events with the soon-to-be Jewish in-laws. We quickly realize Gloria is out of place at the rehearsal dinner.

The groom's mother is played by the always interesting Tovah Feldshuh, but even that's not enough to keep us on track. Director Poliner makes some interesting creative choices by showing a few sequences playing out slightly differently each time. These visions seem to represent the way memories work by displaying the variances in what we recall, how we wish a moment played out, and what actually happened. It's like the internal dialogue come to life, while mixing past and present. Both Christina and Gloria have their internal light flashing - literally, at times. Gloria's story, though it could have been every bit as interesting as Christina's part one, ends up a bit confusing. Supporting work comes courtesy of Ryan Woodle, Andrew Polk, and Adam LeFevre, and while a creative approach is always welcome, we viewers do hope to make sense of what we see on screen.

Opening in theaters and On Demand on January 13, 2023.

IN A NUTSHELL: COME FIND ME is a beautiful, uplifting story about a Latina mother and daughter facing major life changes and how their love challenges and inspires them. Veteran TV actors Sol Miranda and Victoria Cartagena shine in their first lead feature roles giving two tour de force performances in their portrayals of a mother and daughter striving to connect, belong, and search for meaning.

The first half of the movie follows Christina and then it jumps forward two years as we watch her wedding from the point of view of her mother, Gloria, a recently retired and widowed public school principal.

The film stars Sol Miranda (Archive 81, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Victoria Cartagena (Manifest, Batwoman) and has great featured performances from 4-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh and Alice Lee (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist).

The movie is directed and written by Daniel Poliner.

THINGS I LIKED: The cast featured a lot of strong women, including Victoria Cartagena, Sol Miranda, Tovah Feldshuh, Sue Jean Kim, and Heidi Armbruster.

I loved the symbolic imagery of a light shining brightly out of someone's chest.

The casting for the younger version of Christina was very good. She and the older Christina looked alike!

I always enjoy seeing Tovah Feldshuh in movies. She also served as one of the Associate Producers for the movie.

The film does a good job illustrating how we don't always see one another and how our perspectives can be so different of how we see the same events.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: There are some things that happen that are a bit confusing. We're not always sure what's real, memories, or hallucinations. We see scenes unfold in one way and then we relive them with new information that adds to our understanding.

The timeline bounces back and forth, which can also be confusing. It felt like a true woman's experience where memories flash before you while you're living in a different moment.

It's a slow burn.

Some might be disappointed, thinking something bigger is going to happen.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be very bored.

Spanish is spoken, sometimes with subtitles, but sometimes without.

A single woman gets pregnant.

Talk of death and cancer.

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Outstanding cinematography, and finely crafted storyline with multiple flashbacks. Actors are very believable and real - and the settings carefully selected to leave you feeling very much like this takes place in The City without bashing you over the head with typical landmarks (the school scenes in particular will resonate with educators!). The work/life tensions are key to the plot and well described from the start without excessive dialog or overtly throwing audience a bone. This is not your typical relationship movie - much more to it than that. The screenwriter and director, Poliner, has a very intuitive feel for character development and dialog which never feels forced or manufactured. Loved it and will watch it again!