Palo alto: 3 1/2 out of 10 Can definitely tell it was made in 2013.
Tumblr users ate this up and honestly it was pretty good. Beautiful visuals the color palette is perfect for this film and the time. The film directed by Gia Coppola based off of a series of short stories by James Franco follows around four alienated, borderline sociopathic teens trying to navigate life as they are in the twilight period of childhood ending and young adulthood starting. The movie explores this through self discovery vs. aimlessness as we witness each character finding their purpose and meaning in life through their different experiences.
An example of the drastic themes are best friends Teddy and Fred just two of the characters followed in the movie. The pair and their endings symbolize what happens when an individual chooses self discovery or aimlessness in the tumultuous experience called adolescence. Fred represents aimlessness through his reckless behavior such as drinking, drug use, and outbursts reveals the disconnection he has with not only with the world but himself as Palo Alto shows him spiraling into a void of self destruction. Teddy, who does partake in similar behaviors as Fred, represents and displays a yearning for self discovery and redemption. This journey starts early following a DUI charge where he is forced to do hours of community service which provides him with responsibility and what he could be beyond his reckless behavior. Fred and Teddy shows how two teens battling the same pressures take completely different paths, one descending into a void of chaos and the other moving toward self discovery.
In the end Palo Alto leaves audience’s questioning whether self discovery is a result of overcoming aimlessness or is the byproduct of surviving it. Through each character, Coppola creates a story about the trials and tribulations of teens on the edge of youth and the beginning of adulthood where the journey towards self discovery is as fragile as it is life changing. Youth is a hazy, unsolvable mystery which is not only represented by the characters but the soundtrack woven into moments of the film and dreamy shots mixed with the soft and muted color palette. “The characters are either boring or unlikable!!!” It’s almost like that’s the point
Movie reviews
Will not review every movie
Movie: The Boy and the Heron: 3.5/5
Sorry have not been updating or making any new reviews I have no excuse
Newest addition to the studio Ghibli universe that once again manages to tackle universal ideas in a digestible way that all ages can enjoy. I know what I’m about to say is nothing new but the soft art style is so nostalgic but at the same time feels so fresh.
‘The Boy and the Heron’ explores the concept of grief, more specifically, how it shapes us, how it uncomfortably lingers around every environment, and how it demands to be felt and realized. We follow our main character, Mahito, a young boy who has lost his mother and is forced to go through the isolating, confusing, and quiet experience of grief. Mahito is sent into a surreal magical world that is as complex as the emotions he feels. This is also represented by the characters he encounters that all guide him towards his choice in the finale which is to sink into the void of grief or accept his mother’s death to be able to start the process of healing.
The film represents grief in its most accurate form, cluttered, confusing, and at times surreal. The world that Mahito is sent to is full of chaos which can also be represented by the characters he encounters that puts him into this world in the first place, the Gray Heron. The Gray Heron is a mysterious, mischievous, and manipulative figure painted as the antagonist that perfectly embodies the craziness of the mystical world. This character as well as others forces Mahito to confront the emotions he is not ready to face which ultimately lead to Mahito’s and the Gray Heron’s transformation in the end.
The transformation that Mahito goes through is subtle but by the end becomes very clear. As we see in the beginning he is very deep into his grief, he feels disconnected from the addition of his aunt as his new mom as well as his new environment which leads him to isolate himself in his emotions that he refuses to confront. As he goes through his journey in the surreal world he realizes that healing from grief doesn’t mean he has to forget about his mom but to carry her memory with him as he continues to live and grow. The growth he goes through is quiet at times but becomes apparent in the end when viewers witness and feel the weight of the things he has come to understand.
Even if it does not feel like it in the moment, by the end every interaction that occurs feels important to the very theme of the story. Grief is handled tenderly as the film reminds us that healing and growth is not always linear and the journey may be filled with ups and downs but finding peace is possible.
In the finale of ‘The Boy and the Heron’ it shows viewers that healing arises not from escaping grief but from embracing its transformative power and the interconnectedness of self, others, and the ever-evolving world.
is this it