88 minutes | USA | 2021

Directors: Ori Segev, Noah Dixon
Editors: Ori Segev, Noah Dixon
Cinematographer: Logan Floyd
Composers: Adam Robl, Shawn Sutta
Producers: Drew Johnson, Juli Sasaki, Brett Reiter, Josh Nowak
Writer:  Noah Dixon
Cast: Sylvie Mix, Bobbi Kitten, Abdul Seidu, Rachel Keefe, Z-Wolf

Lennon (Sylvie Mix) is an aspiring songwriter whose perceived pathway to success is doing a podcast which covers the best bands of the Columbus, Ohio, indie music scene. Lennon’s narration seems poetic and raw; she even seems like a grown-up, artsy version of Kayla from Eighth Grade, still trying to make her way in this world.

Enter in Bobbi Kitten (starring as herself), an artist with pink hair who Lennon grows to admire. First-time feature filmmakers Ori Segev and Noah Dixon talked about how they wanted to pit a confident character against an insecure one like in The Talented Mr. Ripley. It’s an interesting thought, because even though I found it easy to root for Lennon, initial hints of downing her catering company’s Cool Whip and attempted plagiarism show us that she is possibly disturbed. In addition, Lennon won’t let things go when characters in the movie try to keep their distance from her.

Lennon’s makeup application scene reminded me of Juliette Binoche in Certified Copy, although it didn’t go on for as long. Lennon and Bobbi also participate in a kind of modern Duck Soup mirror scene, but they call it creating art. Bobbi Kitten’s sidekick in the film is Z-Wolf, a guy who wears a wolf head as a mask; incidentally, this reminds me of musician Gary Wilson who performs dressed in a dinosaur costume.

Overall, it was a quietish movie with songs from a variety of genres. It was a film that had a really great take on the art and music scene, but I also felt that the ending deviated tonally.

Rating: 6/10

Vegan alert:
-Some shots of raw meat at meat factory
-Lennon flushes a fish down the toilet
-Bobbi says she doesn’t slaughter animals unless it’s fish

Vegan points:
Bobbi wears faux fur and talks about how she doesn’t slaughter animals

Article was written by Allison McCulloch.

@allicinema