Dear Lemon Lima

I attended the World Premiere of "Dear Lemon Lima," one of the highly anticipated "buzz films," at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Written and directed by Suzi Yoonessi, this classic coming-of-age story is told through the diary writings of 13-year-old Vanessa (the brilliant Savanah Wiltfong). As a young woman's world is bigger-than-life, the widescreen (2.35:1) format serves to enhance the "no boundaries" view that one experiences as a child. Cleverly quirky snippets of animation add humor where appropriate and were an audience favorite.

Set in Alaska, where her high school's Snowstorm Survivor competition reenacts rich Eskimo traditions, Vanessa and her unlikely band of teammates will battle against all odds to achieve greatness -- think a female "Revenge of the Nerds." "Dear Lemon Lima," has the look of a big budget film, with surprisingly high production values and top-notch art direction capturing perfectly the lush landscape and palette of nature's colors which few ever experience in this outlying region of America.

Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo ("Frozen River") is a delight as a teammate's mother and Shayne Topp is just this side of obnoxious as Vanessa's would-be boyfriend (he just took home the jury award for Outstanding Performance at the festival). Watch for Beth Grant as the over-the-top conservative school principal -- you'll swear she's reprising her role as Kitty Farmer in the classic "Donnie Darko" (a fact which she unashamedly admitted to me after the screening). Writer/director Yoonessi explained in the Q&A that Seattle subbed for Alaska due to budget constraints and beneficial tax credits, but it was important to cast a half-Eskimo actor to portray the character, and she was lucky to find young Wiltfong to fit the bill.

True family movies have become a rarity, and "Dear Lemon Lima," is good, clean fun for all ages. It's clear that this movie was a labor of love for cast and crew.

I have discovered a missing genre in the American film landscape: the smart, quirky girl teen comedy. Most notably with "Rushmore" (1998) and filmmakers like Wes Anderson, the smart, isolated male teen have become heroes in quirky indie films. Up until now, there hasn't really been a female equivalent. But here comes "Dear Lemon Lima" where our heroine is awkward and boy-obsessed, but she's also ambitious, kind-hearted and smart, and those are the qualities that drive this film.

Set in Alaska, Vanessa (or Nessa, as those close to her, and we, can call her) is half Eskimo, but not by choice. It's not that she wants to disown her Native heritage but it's her father who is Eskimo and he left when she was too young to remember him. She has a massive crush on Philip and after he "breaks up" with her, she transfers to his private school. And this school, in a backwards, conservative way, demands her to wear her race on her sleeve.

The characteristics that Nessa portrays are the same qualities that this film has. Her and Philip are smart. They speak in quips usually reserved for linguist perfectionists and they are extremely entertaining. They know sign language—just for the art of knowing it, and they know Spanish—to the delight of their Spanish teacher. It's also a delight for us in a fantastic scene where in class they have a debate about the distinctions of a good leader.

All good films must build to a conflict. Here the conflict is in the school's Snowstorm Survivor Competition (held in summer even though "there's no such thing as global warming") which is another backwards, conservative attempt for the school to show pride in their Native heritage. Philip and Nessa are two team captains. He built his team with the popular, strong kids while she built hers with the small, weak but compassionate kids. You can guess how this underdog sports story plays out.

For a comedy, it's not all that funny, and for such smart and charming lead characters, the supporting ones are just annoying. But for a quirky indie teen coming-of-age story, it mixes in the perfect amount of female passion. There's no shortage of ironic naming of the characters, or back-handed insults at the religious, right-wing crowd, and all with a teenage heroine who has a school-girl crush on a boy. "Dear Lemon Lima" subtly finds itself in a genre all its own.

While "Dear Lemon Lima" may seem too quirky for some viewers, one would have to be a robot to not enjoy its sweet and simple storyline. The opening credits are a sequence of animated bunnies, unicorns, rainbows, and hearts, which might turn off some people, but the doodles are the artwork of a young girl who will remind you of a little sister you affectionately roll your eyes at.

The boy who breaks her heart at the beginning is perfectly prep school pretentious, and the rest of the characters are also humorously eccentric. It's easy to embrace their quirkiness because unlike other similar films such as "Juno", these characters seem more realistic, and the dialogue is more natural.

Some aspects seem implausible, as the school places heavy emphasis on multiculturalism and encourages the prominently white student body to familiarize themselves with other cultures. The charming scenes are tempered by heartrending ones, so the film is not all sunshine and rainbows. The plot is predictable , but the film was is never trying to be mysterious or edgy. Writer-director Susie Yoonessi is simply reminding us of what it's like to be young, in love, heartbroken, and unsure of yourself.

Dear Lemon Lima is a film written and directed by Suzi Yoonessi. It's about a 13 year old girl in Alaska, getting ready to attend an exclusive private high school. From the very beginning, the film charms you, with adorable animation and graphics in the frame. They're images that the main character, Vanessa, uses in her doodles and artwork and scrapbooking. The tone is whimsical, and with so many interesting and unique characters in Vanessa's life, it's easy to let your guard down and get drawn into the fun.

But, do not be fooled. High school is a very serious and scary place. People are cruel to one another. Life is cruel, even if you're a brilliant, sensitive, beautiful girl. And, Vanessa soon finds that her dreams and aspirations might not be the path she will ultimately choose. Melissa Leo, Beth Grant and Eleanor Hutchins are all excellent, as some of the adults in Vanessa's life. But, if the kids aren't believable and worthy of our concern, the film doesn't work. Here, Savanah Wiltfong and the actors and actresses who play her schoolmates capture the joy and pain of teen years perfectly. I saw someone describe it as Napoleon Dynamite meets Juno. There are parallels. The dialogue is smart, the characters are quirky. The scenery is fantastic. The Nichols School is actually in Buffalo. This film is excellent. Dear Lemon Lima gets a 10.