Firecrackers

I love Larry Clark movies and the whole genre of 'real' teen movies, which this movie fits into. But Firecrackers is boring, the characters aren't interesting, and there's nothing disturbing about it. It's just bleh. It would look real if the actresses didn't look like actresses, but that's the best thing I can say for it.

I really recommend seeing this movie, it's absolutly brilliant! It captures every moment and emotion perfectly without being over dramatic. Absolutely beautiful composition, watch it!

The beginning ten minutes are strong, but the rest of the film does not go anywhere. And the main characters literally don't go anywhere either. It is slow, boring and frustrating. The two girls don't evoke any sympathies at all, which should be central to this plot.

If you're looking for a "teen movie" this is not it. Having said that, it is about teens with respect to the 2 main characters. A few reviewers said there is nothing disturbing about it and that the 2 leads don't elicit any empathy/sympathy....that mirrors the attitudes of many of the males in the movie towards them. If you don't have any empathy for them, you may want to examine your own attitudes.....which is what the director is getting us to do. Hurt people hurt people. We're all familiar with this expression.

The relationships between the young women and between Lou and her brother do show their humanity and, it is through them, along with their circumstances, that we come to feel something for them.

The filming is well done and features a fair bit of hand-held camera, tight angles, but without being overly obvious for the most part. The way it was filmed and the lighting help to convey the atmospheres of the varying moods and moments.

Don't watch it expecting some highly produced masterpiece or Hallmark production but it is a film worth watching.

And the.

Lou (Michaela Kurimsky) and Chantal (Karena Evans) are teenagers in an unnamed small town in Ontario. As they are living lives at the lower end of the social order , they work toward a goal to move away - maybe New York, maybe western Canada. Complications happen along the way.

For a small-scale film, the characterizations are impressive. Other small roles stand out as well especially members of Lou's family including her troubled mother (Tamara Leclair) and her younger brother (Callum Thompson) who is showing early signs of being gay or transgender.

Kurimsky stands out as someone who has just had enough of her circumstances and does as much as she can to go beyond them. Even when Lou's actions go too far, it's still tempting to cheer for her regardless.

Sometimes, "Firecrackers" is marred by occasional mumbling. There is also an incident near the end that was just too predictable. But otherwise, writer/director Jasmin Mozaffari has created a story in which each moment (aside from the one mentioned) is unpredictable. It has a flow that is as wild as the people involved in it. - dbamateurcritic