Unpacking

This movie is a rare treasure. Yes, I laughed and cried. It's reminiscent of "The Breakfast Club" - a group of archetypes together. We have the "aggressive progressive," the mom who's never taken the time to be her own person, the sexually-liberated one into crystals, the free-spirit and rules-follower sister duo, and the culture- appropriating yoga teacher. I'm a middle-aged woman (hence the John Huge reference) and I've been through many self-help rounds depicted here. It was cathartic to be able to laugh at them without feeling laughed at. Because what this film does incredibly well is show that we're all more complex than any caricature, and just trying to do the best we can. The cinematography and soundtrack are beautiful- but a warning to any fellow vertigo warriors that sometimes the quick camera movements can be triggering. I was very fortunate to see the directors/writers along with many cast members interviewed at the Independent Film Festival and was so inspired to learn about the movie's cooperative creative structure. Unpacking guides us, gently and without being preachy, towards a better way.

I loved this movie-the characters are so relatable in their beautiful messiness. The intimacy of the script and camera work really drew me in. It also does this amazing thing: manages to show vulnerability, deeply emotional processes and be hilarious.

The characters are well developed and so well-acted; I definitely felt like I went on a journey with them My 16 yr old son and husband came to see this movie with me and found it relatable as well- no pigeonholing this movie as a chick flick!

I so hope this movie can be available for more folks to see and for me to see again.

As another reviewed said it is a the antidote to toxic positivity and cynicism. I couldn't agree more.

This movie was one of the most enjoyable watches I've had in a while. I went in not knowing what to expect but I love any take on the wellness space so I was intrigued. Right from the beginning it was going to have depth, and very early on it became clear it would have very funny moments; the actress who played Jackie was hilarious (I was laughing out loud). I was most surprised by was how moving it was, with shockingly authentic performances dealing with really emotional topics. I had tears in my eyes at more than one juncture and kept thinking what a special movie this is. I left the experience feeling so satisfied and so glad I watched. For a short film it's truly packed with meaning and true-to-life stories that are more the kind of fare I think people are looking for these days. A film with a message and the right journey to get you there. 100% worth seeing!

I enjoyed this film very much. It was like a book page turner . The way each of the characters personalities unfold is well done in the context of a retreat setting . Made me laugh and choke up . I thought the ending seemed a little abrupt but I think they were going for that. They touched upon the woo woo aspect of the retreats methods but still selling the idea that there was merit into the experience. Each character brought their own story to the retreat and the writers expertly wove the stories into a cohesive whole . This film could be a boom to the retreat vaacation business! More from this group!

It is hard to find a flaw in this movie, and I'm not even going to try. When you put together the acting, script, location, cinematography, and music, the individual parts merge and become something magical. These are people that you come to really care about, root for, hurt for, laugh for. At first, you think you're going to see a smarmy story about sensitivity groups and new age philosophy, as the characters travel to Bali for some sort of rejuvenation buddy experience--and that's exactly what the filmmaker wants you to think. What you get instead is individual human beings behaving in their individual ways. I wish these characters would come to life, pop out of the screen, so I could form a book discussion group with them, invite them over for dinner, and bring them into my life. Please, please watch this film if you get the chance.