Manny & Lo

I saw this film for the first time on TV Ontario last night and it was a beautiful film both visually and emotionally. Lo (Aleska Palladino) and her younger sister, Manny (Scarlett Johansson) run away using a family car. When the film opens, we find them on the fresh, green turf of a new sub-division being chased away by the property owners. Lo is sixteen and pregnant and Manny is an 11-year-old with smarts. They make the rounds of the countryside and small towns and kidnap Elaine (Mary Kay Place), a retail clerk working in a baby boutique. Elaine is made to sign a note that she is on vacation, leaving her owner and co-workers to fend for themselves. This is totally out of character for Elaine, who is a pillar of her community with a heart of gold. As the movie moves along, we see a bond develop between the three female characters with Elaine becoming the mother figure to the free-spirited sisters, who come from a troubled family. The girls learn from Elaine as she fills a void in her own life. Director Lisa Krueger has put together a fine story that moves along slowly but draws the viewer into the characters.

A 90s independent film that deals with the youthful issues that Clark, Solondz, and Linklater addressed in their own ways, but here the director gave it the texture of a panda-like doll to show us the palpable loneliness of these kinds of stories. And it's loneliness that the three main characters carry with them, who have no direction, except for Manny, who, being at an age of exploration, identifies life differently, amidst crime, anarchy, and the deep America. Manny & Lo is 6 stars.

One of Scarlett Johansson's early roles was this indie about a pair of orphaned sisters. Lisa Krueger's "Manny & Lo" is simultaneously intense, funny, disturbing and all-around enjoyable. Johansson and co-stars Aleksa Palladino (who more recently appeared in "The Irishman") and Mary Kay Place make it work every step of the way. Definitely check it out.

I think it could use some editing to speed the pace a bit. A pregnant teen and her younger sister run away from foster homes and kidnap a woman whom they believe can help with the pregnancy. This is the kind of low-budget film that truly proves that a small story can be much more meaningful than a larger one. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have as all of the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Are there annoying things in this movie? Yes, like the overdone acting. But the movie has enough to keep you entertained. For these reasons, I give this movie a rating of 7 out of 10.

How 2 youngsters dealt with a traumatic situation, alone, 'till they thought it was beyond their control. To resort to kidnapping! (Kidnapee or kidnapper ?)I identify with Manny because she thinks for herself with subtle conclusions, knowing what's right disspite. I identify with Elaine because when I grew up I ended up alone. And Lo 'is' my brother (For how he took care of me at that age) I've been a movie buff for 29 years (since I was 10), and "Manny & Lo" is on the top of my list!!!!! Thank you Scarlett, Aleksa, & Marry Kay....Thank you.