First love, rebellion, adventure, and the water works; I Believe in Unicorns has is all. The 2015 film is a beautifully crafted tale about a young girl in search of her prince charming. One thing to keep in mind is that Davina (Natalia Dyer) isn’t Cinderella and Sterling (Peter Vack) is no Prince Charming.

“I don’t dream. I live my dreams,” was the theme and one of the most captivating lines of this wild rollercoaster. This simple phrase captured the essence of a typical troubled bad boy, but also seemed to give purpose to our princess. While the simple girl meets boy fairytale plot is evident here, the magic of their adventure and the added push of self-discovery is the glue that holds the foundation of this film together.

The journey that Davina and Sterling take isn't anything spectacular, and at times is lackluster, but just enough happens to keep it interesting. The audience becomes aligned with, and roots for the lead, Davina first. Her sensitivity and thoughtfulness is admired throughout the first half of the tale, but soon becomes her own personal kryptonite. Although her dedication and will to endure the challenges that she faces with Sterling is admirable, her effort is only enough to draw in sympathy, rather than empathy from the audience as the film transitions.

Sterling, who is always shown in a raw and unfiltered manner, is softened by his interactions with Davina and because of this, the audience may root for him throughout the film. As the film progresses, the audience is quickly let down by Sterling and his blooming relationship with Davina. While the audience may see Sterling as a toxic force our heroine does not, which begins to raise a few questions concerning the realness of film. The realistic nature of the film is questionable because of Davina and Sterling's toxic relationship, as well as each of their actions and their constant state of dependency. Even though questions may arise at specific moments, these occurrences may be necessary because the apparent youth and naivety of the our characters shine through and continues to serve as a guide for this fairytale-ridden coming-of-age story.

From the first scene, it's evident that this film is the product of someone who appreciates film not only as a vehicle for stories, but also for its aesthetics. The film is beautifully shot to represent the nostalgia and fairytale state that the main character is longing for. Here dreams and feeling don’t overshadow her real life actions, but instead enhances them. Her daydreams further adds value to each scene, not only because of the added action sequences, but also because of the delicate and thoughtful details that are put into each symbolic cutaway.

All in all, the audience is challenged throughout the film and asked symbolically by the filmmaker to make connections between real events and imagined actions. As the audience uses their imaginations throughout the tale, they soon become accustomed to the idea of animation, a little fairy dust and of course the idea of unicorns. It isn't impossible to relate to the main character, as she is caught up in her first romance, but the audience is left bewildered and drained as her relationship with Sterling develops. The viewer should remember to enjoy the idea of youth through the eyes of a young woman, but also be weary of the typical happy ending. 

I Believe In Unicorns (2015)

Director: Leah Meyerhoff

Writer: Leah Meyerhoff

Stars: Natalia Dyer, Peter Vack, Julia Garner 

Run Time: 1h 20min

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Late Shift, which has been dubbed as an interactive high stakes crime drama, is a new type of cinematic experience. The film hopes to breathe life back into the dying choose-your-own-adventure genre that was crafted in the seventies, but eventually became popular in the both the eighties and the nineties. Now instead of turning a page in a book to discover your fate, the audience is able to click a few buttons, and watch their decisions unfold on screen. This innovative story telling mechanism keeps the audience invested and personally tied to the film’s story and characters.

The interactive film follows a college student, Matt (Joe Sowerbutts), who gets wrapped up into a troublesome scheme during his late night shift at a parking garage. The story is not a new one, and it is often predictable, but the plot saves the film.  The process of how our hero gets in and out of the inevitable trouble is what eventually hooks the audience.

Overall the film’s visuals are very realistic, as it was shot on location and London. The cast of new, young faces were also very well prepared and fit each character that they were portraying. The writing was very thoughtful and engaging as well.

With over four hours of recorded film, there are one hundred and eighty decision points, and seven endings, but only one story. With careful manipulation and play, participants can eventually unlock all of the endings.


Late Shift (2016)
Director: Tobias Weber
Writer: Michael Robert Johnson, Tobias Weber
Stars: Joe Sowerbutts, Haruka Abe, Richard Durden
Run Time: Various

Loving follows the 1960s couple Richard (Joel Edergton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga) as they attempt to build their family together, despite a Virginia law prohibiting interracial marriage. The filmmakers took an interesting approach in relaying the couple’s story to the audience, as topics such as race and political opposition are lightly touched on.

Interestingly enough, the movie steered clear of potentially controversial displays of the racial tensions that the couple most definitely faced during the time period. For example, there was a successful avoidance of violence and racial slurs. The minimalistic approach was most likely due to the target audience that the movie will be aimed at when it is eventually released.

It’s always hard to interpret and dissect biopics. It’s especially difficult to analyze Edergton and Negga’s performances in the film, because as an audience member we don’t know how the real Loving’s interacted and reacted to the events that they were faced with. This particular film did a great job keeping the audience out of the politics that were thrown at the couple and, instead focused on their home life. We had the opportunity to watch grow with the couple, as they ultimately made history.

Overall the film was not as developed as it could have been, and in my opinion, it missed the mark when it came to depicting some of the strife that the family had to endure. Nonetheless, it still positively and hopefully accurately portrays a historical moment in American history. The film could possibly serve as a positive history lesson for families in America and abroad.

Loving (2016)

Director: Jeff Nichols

Writer: Jeff Nichols

Stars: Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon

Run Time: 123 minutes

The Unknown Girl (La fille inconnue) follows Jenny, a doctor who decides to investigate the death of a young girl. After finding out that the girl is killed outside of her practice, she assumes responsibility and becomes slightly obsessed with discovering who the girl is and how she died.

The film misses the mark, as the doctor acts out of character in order to accomplish her goals. Her guilt drives her actions throughout the film, which leads to the film remaining flat. There is little to no action, and the thrill is somehow left out of the mix.

While the film is flat and uneventful, Jenny’s character becomes a bit more developed. Jenny eventually realizes that her actions as a young doctor at the beginning of the film are selfish and unnecessary. I believe that her mission to discover the truth was her way of making up for this behavior. Overall, the movie is not worth the time commitment and the story is pointlessly drawn out. I would not recommend seeing the film.

The Unknown Girl

Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Writers: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Starring: Adèle Haenel, Jérémie Renier, Olivier Gourmet

Run Time: 113 minutes