Mouth to mouth - Rebelle adolescence

After two years of trying to find the movie, I finally purchased it for 18.99 on ebay. Right when I received the package, I put it in my DVD player. It was worth the wait.

First to note, the movie is low budget and you can tell from the poor lighting. But, it kind of added to this film. The film was very dark and gritty as it portrayed a cult that started as a party and ended as manipulation. I did notice quite a few plot holes such as how did Sherry's mother find Sherry when Sherry was over a thousand miles away. But other than that I applaud Alison Murray's efforts in this film as we laughed and cried with the lead character played by the always fantastic, Ellen Page.

It was after Ellen's performance in Hard Candy that made me want to follow her and it is quite obvious that she'll have a fantastic career ahead of her.

There is so much to say about this film. I loved the score and thought it was perfect for the film. It was very well placed and enjoyable. I loved how the actors would kind of dance to strange situations such as Sherry's mom would try to get Sherry in her car and Sherry wanted to get away from her. It was almost liked they did a tango. It was beautiful to me. What I also enjoyed about the movie was it was very unpredictable. Early in a movie you see a kid get nonchalantly thrown into a dumpster to get some food and he ends up hitting his head against a sharp object. There was no music to narrate the situation for you so it kept me off guard. I don't know what it is about indy films but they always appeal to me. I love the experimentation of the film.

So all in all, you'll probably not be able to find this movie for rent and will most likely have to take the chance and purchase the film. It was very hard to find and ebay or Amazon is the only way you'll be able to find it. This movie reminded me a little of Firecracker, House of Sand and Fog, and 11:14. Mouth to Mouth is bizarre and is really "out there" so you need to watch it with an open mind.

P.S: Congraduations to Ms. Page for her Oscar nomination and I'm sure she won't let the instant fame get to her head and she'll continue to pick original and great scripts.

(I apologize if the review contain mistakes, because I'm Portuguese)

I'm loyal fan of the movies that Ellen Page has been doing in recent times ("Juno," "An American Crime", "Hard Candy" ...)

Recently I had the opportunity to see this "Mouth to Mouth". I prepared some popcorn, sat down on the couch and started to watch it!

The first parameter to not like the movie, I noticed that happens early in the film, his screenplay was a bit confusing. Very tied up. Do not know if understood the "tied" which meant, but is a bit confused. The worst is that the screenplay will continued so until the rest of the film.

The director of the film sometimes shows strange scenes on screen (I will not say the spoiler), but who see the movie will notice this and identify what those scenes. Sometimes, the course of the film is a bit confusing. I do not have much sense of time.

Now let the good things the movie. I love the twists of the film and the performances. The cinematography is very dirty! And for being "dirty", it is a good cinematography. And the soundtrack, I liked.

Overall is good. But ... have their reservations. Have bad side. Recommend, but does not belong to my favorite movies.

Not sure why this came onto my radar but Amazon recommended it so I thought I would check it out. Based on the real life experiences of director Alison Murray, the movie exists to show how corrupt social groups can become, even when claiming to do something honourable like "helping homeless youth" . It creates characters that we have all met in life and shows how the Sherry character that we all wish we were fights for freedom and basic human rights. Her character is able to challenge the mindless acceptance of abuse of power of the group leader and by the end it seems like the group may unravel because of the chain reaction she starts. Some weird choices in the visual style but overall a good looking movie also. I would give it a strong recommendation.

Despite the risky 'cutting edge' nature of the film, ultimately the simple story of 'doublespeak' and 'group think' in the style of George Orwell's Animal Farm or Nineteen Eight Four rings true as a warning against any movement or ideology that leaves no space for critical thinking or individuality. Production design is amazing and captures that 80's europunk vibe. This movie has a raw energy that grips me . It reminds me of the best road movies where the characters take us on their journey and we feel the wind in on our hair. For better or for worse we share that teenage energy of heading out into the world in search of paradise. I like the cinematography and the edgy texture of the 16mm ( I assume ) as well as the casting which creates authentic characters , from the gutter punks to the well meaning mother, and the sleazy cult leader.

Possibly, Mouth to Mouth is not to everyone's taste. Not everyone loves criticism of control and coercion masquerading as rebellion. Not everyone loves experimentation and risk taking in film - Mouth to Mouth has lots of this. For the director's first feature, this film has a flair and playfulness as well as a depth of argument. The story is cunningly woven around the lead character's search for acceptance and meaning. It is also a virtuoso performance by Elliot Page, still Ellen, who treats the audience to a multi-faceted brave young woman character - we need to see more female characters of this style. The 80's music of The Stranglers that opens the film gives a taste of the urgency and grit that will follow. Great movie.