CinemaSpeak

by Warren Curry
4/1/10

Bradley Rust Gray’s “The Exploding Girl” has garnered buzz in the indie film world since premiering at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. And much of that attention has fallen squarely on the film’s lead performer, Zoe Kazan (”Revolutionary Road”), who won the best actress award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival for her work here, and carries quite a load on her shoulders. Kazan is on screen for most of the film’s brief running time, and Gray often captures the actress in close up, asking her to convey her character’s tangled emotions largely via facial expressions and some halted speech. The young Kazan proves more than up to the challenge.

Since directing his first feature film, 2003’s difficult “Salt,” Gray has stayed busy producing So Yong Kim’s (also Gray’s wife) two features, “In Between Days” and “Treeless Mountain.” The time spent away from the director’s chair has benefited Gray, as “The Exploding Girl” shows he’s grown enormously as a filmmaker in the years since his debut while maintaining a sense of artistic individuality and experimental freedom. This is a decidedly more accessible film than his debut, yet hardly a conventional one.

Kazan plays Ivy, a college girl who returns to her New York City home for a week during spring break. Ivy will be apart from her new boyfriend, Greg, over the break, but plans to speak with him frequently by phone. And when her longtime friend Al (Mark Rendell), who’s also home from college, asks if he can crash on Ivy’s couch — she lives with her single mother (Maryann Urbano) — for the week, she has unanticipated company.

In one of the first shots we see of Al and Ivy speaking, it’s clear his interest in her extends beyond friendship. Just as it’s evident when we hear Ivy and Greg’s first uncomfortable phone conversation, that the girl’s partner is hiding something from her. What should be a relaxing week turns into one of unexpected stress, which carries with it severe consequences because Ivy has epilepsy.

As you can likely guess, “The Exploding Girl” isn’t a particularly plot driven film, but it has momentum, an undercurrent that tugs you along. This tumultuous week in Ivy’s life is shown in a series of fractured scenes, but it’s easy for the viewer to fill in the blanks. While the emphasis is on character and atmosphere, the narrative moves forward, if not necessarily smoothly, at least with a sense of purpose.

The movie contains a feeling of intimacy, but Gray’s camera always acts as more an observer than a participant. This approach mutes the emotional content somewhat, but we’ re still allowed to connect with these characters. Though Gray never asks us to walk in Ivy’s or Al’s shoes, we can identify with them both. There are times when the film will understandably be too quiet for some, especially those expecting some form of cathartic payoff.

Because Ivy internalizes her feelings, explosive (no pun intended) drama simply isn’t on the menu. Gray asks Kazan to emote primarily through body language, and her performance is one marked with nuance. The film doesn’t provide her any showy scenes, but it always seems like you can see Ivy’s mind working. If the movie’s tone prevents it from ever becoming truly gripping, it is always interesting to watch the protagonist deal with her life’s dilemmas.

Restrained but certainly not dispassionate, “The Exploding Girl” is a deceivingly emotional film. It speaks softly, economically, but so much of what it says is deeply felt.

contact: wcurry718@yahoo.com

The Exploding Girl (US/2009)

(Oscilloscope Laboratories; opened in New York City March 19, 2010; opens in Los Angeles April 2, 2010)

Tags: Bradley Rust Gray, Independent Film, Oscilloscope Laboratories, The Exploding Girl, Zoe Kazan

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 4:46 pm and is filed under In Theaters/Coming Soon (2010). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.