gerhardie

This is a beautifully written and directed film--I enjoyed it even more than her last one. Although the subject matter concerns the special growing pains of the film's 13-year old protagonist, Maggie, as a middle-aged man, I found it relatable and the characters fully engaging. The added dimension of Maggie's special senory skills, creates a touching and clever spin on teenage angst. The dialogue and story line were excellent and held my interest completely throughout.

Particularly impressive were Shayelin Martin as Maggie, and the ever-funny Colin Mochrie as Gil in one of the more hilarious misfits I've seen in a while.

A good number of big laughs too. Nicola Rose keeps evolving.

This is a rich, atmospheric, and well acted drama. The story is straight forward: a formerly troubled woman (Amanda, played with honesty and humility by Deborah Twiss) marries into a family under sad circumstances, tries to fit in but encounters resistance and resentment, becomes estranged from her husband (Costas Mandylor, deep into an affair of his own), and then romantically involved with her step son (Staffan Edenholm), all the while troubled by the seemingly hostile behavior of her step daughter (Ashley Westover in one of the film's strongest performances).

Under another writer/director this could easily become a sexual romp through the "oops" field, but Deborah Twiss has cleverly mixed sensuality with very real characters who try very hard to navigate their mixed feelings about this would-be replacement mother, and their own sense of loss, need, and trust. The appearance of Amanda's troubled but somehow re-assuring ex-husband Russ Camarda) adds an interesting background to Amanda's predicament.

Twiss, Mandylor, Edenholm, and especially Westover and Camarda (as Amanda's lurking ex-husband), give rich and believable performances. The film kept me guessing and interested-not a very easy thing to do.

This charming and very entertaining film follows the often painful path of pursuing a dream without letting it lead you astray. Claire, a young film student (the depictions of which with lunatic professor and socially misguided classmates are some of the funniest scenes in the film) drops out of school to travel to Paris pursue her passion for French culture, art, and love. Along the way she learns to adjust her sites as she bumps up against the pettiness, small-mindedness, and disillusion of others. The experience is often painful, but depicted honestly and with warm humor. Nicola Rose pulls compelling, nuanced performances from a talented young cast. She's a writer/director to definitely keep an eye on.