Be Still My Heart

audreyrouget asked: Do you recommend The Myth of the American Sleepover?

If you have an affinity for that blend of small-scale, understated American independent dramas then I think it would be worth your time. The overall insight the film offers I think is pretty original and well communicated, and the style seems generally conducive to those ends.

But, breaking the film down scene to scene, it’s not particularly well acted or directed. There are too many characters, and few, if any of them are well-developed or performed with any intrigue. The consistently subdued performance tone sucks all the life and energy out of the whole movie, and also compromises any claim the movie has to verisimilitude or authenticity. The real joy, I think, of watching an independent film about kids that age, is seeing them actually talk and behave like kids that age. American Sleepover doesn’t really allow for that.

To compare, I think if you saw and enjoyed Aaron Katz’s film Dance Party, USA then you might like this as well. I think American Sleepover is a stronger and more responsible film, but stylistically and thematically very similar.