"Scout" (2015 release; 90 min.) brings the story of Scout (played by India Ennenga), a 15 year old high schooler. As the movie opens, we see Scout waking up and getting ready for another day. We soon realize that Scout is pretty much responsible for taking care of her little sister Lulu, as they live her their ailing grandma (played by an unrecognizable Ellen Burstyn) and there is no sign of mom or dad. That changes, though, when no-good loser dad shows up and 'claims' Lulu. Before we know it, Scout hits the road to track down and hopefully reunite with Lulu. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: first, this movie is written and directed by Laurie Waltz, based on a story from Waltz and Ennenga herself, no less. Second, it is very clear that this movie was made on (less than) a shoes-string budget. Yet that doesn't stop Waltz from extracting commendable acting performances, none more so that Ennenga in the title role. There are a number of small roles for bigger names like Danny Glover (I guess he still does make movies!) and Jane Seymour (same comment for her!). The other lead performance comes from James Frecheville, as the troubled teenager with whom Scout connects on the fly (and these two clearly have a good screen chemistry).
I recently caught this movie during a return transatlantic flight on Virgin Atlantic. The selection of movies was okay but not great (as compared to the flight over on Delta). I had never heard of this movie (turns out this has been sitting on the shelves for almost 2 years), but in the end I liked its free spirit and can-do attitude. If you like indie movies, I'd readily recommend you check this out, be it on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.
