I'm a sucker for angsty teenage coming of age story that radiate charm. Sammy is a thirteen year old girl who is still downtrodden and lashing out after the death of her mother. Not helping her mood is her father's relationship with a new woman combined with his strict attitude and constant work hours. When she meets a magician and is forcefully conscripted into being their assistant, Sammy finds ways to process grief. It's a familiar plot, but the presentation of the film makes good use of the medium of film to really showcase Sammy's mood and personality. Simple animation doodles are used on top of live action, various visual effects and tricks are used, and simple shifts in colour and aspect ratio help to really get us in her head. It's the kind of film that I kind of wish I had when I was that age.
I'm a sucker for angsty teenage coming of age story that radiate charm. Sammy is a thirteen year old girl who is still downtrodden and lashing out after the death of her mother. Not helping her mood is her father's relationship with a new woman combined with his strict attitude and constant work hours. When she meets a magician and is forcefully conscripted into being their assistant, Sammy finds ways to process grief. It's a familiar plot, but the presentation of the film makes good use of the medium of film to really showcase Sammy's mood and personality. Simple animation doodles are used on top of live action, various visual effects and tricks are used, and simple shifts in colour and aspect ratio help to really get us in her head. It's the kind of film that I kind of wish I had when I was that age.
