Low Low

Street smart, uncompromising, sexy, bitter, funny, feminist and beyond all else, raw, Low Low is an indie film that strives to say so much, often through nothing but subtext and casual banter alone. It's a beautiful and honest piece that depicts the rough slice of life four woman have carved out for themselves in a tired, suburban world, managing to do so with genuine finesse. Patient writing and gut wrenching performances from all the leading women (special mentions go to Ali Richey and Kacie Rogers) help lure the viewer into the story and get them thoroughly invested in the nuanced conflicts that threaten to tear any happiness these girls have found clean in two. It's not a perfect film per se, and it doesn't intend to be. It's messy, it has cracks, it's dirty... just like the lives of its four leads, and these "imperfections" ultimately yield truth and empathy that so many indie films today genuinely lack. It isn't an easy watch, for the girls have a tough go of it throughout, but that's life, and that's what I appreciated the most. This movie is a breath of fresh air, and even if it's cold, biting air that comes along in the dead of winter and stings just a bit, it's hugely refreshing nonetheless.

I was blown away by the characters in this film! The intensity of the lives they lived, and the brokenness of their life circumstances was heartbreaking and raw. The complexity of life lived by those raised in addiction and poverty is overwhelming and this film beautifully captures those moments.

I knew nothing about who wrote and directed it from the start, found out after, but throughout the film I kept saying to myself "wow, this really feels like it was written by a guy". The two main pitfalls of trying to write about s from a female character's perspective seem to be focusing too much on the physical, and not delving deep enough into the emotional. To his credit, he tried, but from the very start there was too much about body parts & nakedness, and the primary emotion displayed was anger (again, a very male thing). There were parts where the female, teenage main characters were supposed to be afraid, but for the most part it fell flat. (Afraid of what exactly, why?) There were other parts where their actions just didn't seem plausible.

Driving a few final nails into the coffin of this waste of acting potential was his terrible directing. For example, two key action scenes were missing crucial shots which would have given the viewer spatial context. It was also supposedly shot in Vancouver, WA - but every outdoor scene is littered with palm trees and CA license plates. (The director is from Vancouver.. so, there's really no excuse for that.) Then there's the seemingly total lack of extras, making several scenes ostensibly, awkwardly, sparsely populated. I could go on, but there's too much. It just sucked.

So. If you want to see a passably earnest attempt at a profound, coming-of-age, charged drama as told from the perspective of mostly POC teenage girls, but written by a middle aged white guy, well, I don't know why you you would want that - but this would be it. :shrug:

Reminded me of "American Woman" as in 90% profanity, fake sex (i.e. scenes designed to give the idea w/out exposing much), parties, alcohol in abundance of course. Females searching for love using the hooks they have, but advantage falls to the guys. Script tries to convey the importance of dedication to education, but comes across as weak.

Low Low is not a fast movie but it is in the vein of HBO's Euphoria but far realer and more honest. The characters and their motivations are clear and all action has purpose and part of me hoped Low Low would not ver into cliche in terms of drugs, sexuality and the future and it never did. Low Low delivered and left me wanting to see the future of each of the 4 characters.

Highly recommended.