Porcupine

Also called "Porcupine." I watched it as "Adopting Audrey."

Jena Malone is Audrey, raised in California but somewhat distant from her family. They phone each other occasionally but seem to mostly leave voice messages. As this movie starts we find her working as a telephone agent, filmed in Saugerties, New York, a small city of about 19,000 on the Hudson River, about 100 miles north of New York City.

She seems to have a great attitude but must not be doing great, she gets fired. Then she is having trouble paying her utilities and her rent. But she has a handy fall-back, we learn that she has used it on occasion. The back of her van serves as her traveling home.

Audrey spends lots of her casual time surfing the internet on her phone. She watches silly videos, some educational videos, and through this process comes across a site for "adult adoptions." Intrigued, she makes a short video introducing herself and puts it out there. She figures having a family, even though she is in her late 30s, would be helpful for her.

This is a really nicely done movie and Malone is totally authentic in the role. It is a reminder that sometimes the best family is the one we choose. My wife and I enjoyed it, streaming on Amazon Prime.

The story here was inspired by a real woman who did something similar. It can easily be found by doing a web search on "This Charlotte woman was 'adopted' at age 43." Her name is Jenna MacFarlane.

Nearly everyone in this story has a problem of sorts.

Audrey doesn't seem to find her place, she can't hold a job. Her adoptive family is no better.

There is hardly a moment one can smile watching this movie.

I thought this was a sweet film. It's not a big studio production and they didn't spend a lot of money on sets but I did enjoy it. The script was lacking and at times I could have used more of it.

The actors were really, really good. That Emily Kuroda was excellent as. Sunny. I think everyone knows a Sunny... Jenna was amazing, of course, and then there was, Robert Hunger-Buhler as Otto. Pretty sure we all know someone very similar to him. Then there's the kids... and quite a bit of life stuff that happens. I won't spoil it.

I did think the script could have been better and that the editing could have been tighter. I also think it could have been shorter. As I said, I enjoyed it. It's not big budget but you get to see some familiar faces and some fine acting.

This is a film that doesn't attempt to be great, but instead becomes great through the unique characters introduced in the film. Otto is introduced as a recursive and almost hostile character, mellowed out in time by a stellar, struggling Audrey. This film is simple: Audrey is a late 30's struggling woman looking for something to fill the void so apparent in her life. Her search eventually leads her to a diverse family with a very strong willed and well-acted Otto, who himself discovers he had been missing something in his life as essential as what Audrey was after. Jena Malone was very good here, showing an award-status and glorious performance that isn't loud or obnoxious, but rather quiet, somber, humble. This film may not be for everyone, but for me this film demonstrates a uniqueness that can't be missed, accompanied by solid acting talent. 9/10.