With a title that is beyond misleading, “The Exploding Girl” is a slow-moving, nearly plotless film. Written and directed by indie filmmaker Bradley Rust Gray, the movie is both beautiful and unbelievably boring — a deadly combination.
The film centers around a 20-year-old college girl named Ivy played by a doe-eyed Zoe Kazan (“It’s Complicated,” “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.”) She comes back home to New York City for spring break to a quaint little apartment she shares with her mother. However, Ivy has epilepsy, a disorder that causes her to have seizures randomly, especially when she’s under stress. While at home, her close friend Al (Mark Rendall) needs a place to stay, so she offers him her couch. The two are close pals and spend the majority of their time together, having darling picnics and going to small house parties. There’s a friendly chemistry between the two, considering both of them are awkward and soft-spoken. As the film goes on, you see the development of Ivy’s character and gain insight into the problems she faces. It’s a delicate portrait of the life of a sweet girl with epilepsy. However, it’s not graphic or shocking; rather, it unfolds slowly, displaying her issues in an artistic way.
Unfortunately, the film is painful to get through. Ivy is a darling character, like a miniature Zooey Deschanel in nearly every way, but without the quirky and vibrant personality. Ivy is sweet and kind, but fails to grasp the audience’s attention.
But this can’t just be blamed on Kazan, who fulfilled the identity of her character. The heft of the blame goes to writer and director Gray, whose script did not match the lovely cinematography. The dialogue is kept mainly between Ivy and Al and is painfully awkward and slow. It seems as though the film was trying to stay as realistic as possible, but it just tried too hard to be indie and artsy.
Though not always a bad thing, in this case it becomes irritating because of the amount of times the words “like,” “um” and “OK” were used. Hardly anything said was very interesting and most of the conversation ended up being completely pointless in every way. If you didn’t like watching “Twilight” because of the dialogue between Edward and Bella, you will utterly despise “The Exploding Girl.”
Another exasperating factor was the Sofia Coppola-esque filming. The only director who can handle overly long shots and really push aesthetics on the audience is Coppola herself. As a result, the film went about everything in the wrong way. The movie is only 79 minutes long, but felt so much longer because of all the extra shots and lengthy footage. The scenery itself is fascinating, but since it was filmed in New York City, that is almost a given.
Conversely, the best thing about the movie is that it at least manages to capture New York City at its loveliest, staying true to the springy atmosphere. If you enjoy watching movies merely for aesthetics, there are a few glittering moments in the film such as the adorable outfits worn by Kazan and a rooftop scene that is both peaceful and startling in its beauty. But it just isn’t enough for a full-length film. After watching the film and taking in the scenery for so long, it starts to become clear that this film is not propelled by any sort of real story. Film aficionados, be warned: there’s just no point, no falling action and no real conclusion. The most interesting thing about this film is its ill-fitting title.
“The Exploding Girl” is forgettable and tries way too hard to resonate with its audience. There is no way to connect to it, and it leaves you feeling lost and shocked with just how pointless it all is.
You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.
