I picked this up at the library because I only knew Jodie Whittaker from Doctor Who, and I wanted to see her in another context. This film is touching and funny, and I like it. The only problem I had was understanding the dialogue. I watch British television shows and movies frequently, like 2 or 3 per week, and usually have no problem with the various regional accents. These people I had much difficulty understanding. I'm thankful that I was watching it on disc, and could run it back to repeat; I did that with about 1/4 of the dialogue. Of course this had to be one of the few DVDs which does not have subtitles available. It needs them.
Adult Life Skills
2016
Action / Comedy / Drama
Adult Life Skills
2016
Action / Comedy / Drama
Plot summary
Anna is stuck: she's approaching 30 and living like a hermit in her mum's garden shed, avoiding fully living her life due to the fact that she is crippled by the loss of her twin brother. She spends her days making videos using her thumbs as actors - thumbs that bicker about things like whether Yogi Bear is a moral or existential nihilist. A week before her birthday her Mum serves her an ultimatum - she needs to move out of the shed, and move on with her life. However, when her school friend comes to visit, Anna's self-imposed isolation becomes impossible to maintain. Soon she is entangled with a troubled eight year old boy obsessed with Westerns, and the local estate agent whose awkward interpersonal skills continually undermine his attempts to seduce her.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Good
charming Whittaker
Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is stagnant approaching 30. She has been living in her mother's garden shed for the last 18 months. She makes internet videos which she used to make with her late twin brother Billy. Her mother Marion is frustrated trying evict her out of the shed. Anna works at a children day camp with her friend Fiona and Brendan who has a crush on her. Clint is a peculiar boy who doesn't fit in with the other kids. When his mother is hospitalized, Anna is tasked with caring for the boy.
This is a standard stunted adulthood dramedy. It has some fun with the very appealing Jodie Whittaker. There is a functional romantic component but the male lead is not that charismatic. I wonder if it would be more compelling to lose the sputtering romance in favor of the kiddie relationship. The movie also introduces Billy rather late in the movie. Overall, the central appeal is the charismatic Whittaker and she drives this with a comedic charm.
Ozzy and Jodie
Greetings again from the darkness. Each of us deals with grief in our own way, and often it's even more challenging to help a grieving loved one. Loss and grief are at the core of writer-director Rachel Tunnard's feature length film developed from her award winning short, EMOTIONAL FUSEBOX (2014).
When first we meet Anna, she is creating a space-oriented home video using aluminum foil and her thumbs. Yes, Anna is an adult - mere days from her 30th birthday. She's not the type to live in her mom's basement ... no, instead she lives in the cluttered garden shed in her mom's backyard. The play on words for the shed clues us in to Anna's quirky personality (as if the foil spaceship and thumb faces hadn't already done so). The Anna we see currently has no place for humor in her life.
Anna is struggling with the grief associated with losing her twin brother - a brother she was extremely close to. She's challenged daily by the fine line between sorrow and depression, and is regularly late to her job at an outdoor camp for kids. Her morning routine includes drying her clothes in the microwave and bickering with her mother (Lorraine Ashbourne) over finding a boyfriend and new place to live. Mom has demanded Anna move out of the shed by her birthday.
Others in Anna's life include her grandmother (Eileen Davies),Anna's close friend Fiona (Rachael Deering),and local real estate agent Brendan (Brett Goldstein) who may or may not be on the spectrum, is constantly refuting assumptions that he is gay, and undoubtedly has an unrequited crush on Anna. Each of these folks tries in their own way to pull Anna from her funk and get her back to living. Surprisingly, the turn occurs when she is forced to look after a neighbor boy named Clint when his mother gets rushed to the hospital. Clint is an odd kid who wears cowboy attire and proclaims his desire to be like Anna ... and they are more similar than she would care to admit initially.
Jodie Whitaker plays Anna and newcomer Ozzy Myers is Clint. Young Mr. Myers excels in his role, never going over-the-top with his offbeat tendencies. Ms. Whitaker ("Doctor Who") first charmed us on screen with her role in VENUS (2006) and she proves yet again what an accomplished actress she is ... likable and relatable. Here she turns an arrested development 30 year old hermit into someone we pull for. The film is filled with awkward interactions, each grounded in reality.
Of course, there is really nothing cute or charming about a 30 year old who hasn't yet grown up, but slack and understanding is due here because of the grief. And it's difficult to name another film character who could count mole hills daily and make it seem natural. Just remember that when a kid says they want to be like you, take it seriously - even if it's because you are sad and lonely. Ms. Tunnard's film is a bittersweet comedy that's not too bitter, not too sweet, and not overly funny. It's simply a fine little indie movie with a terrific performance from a talented actress.