Touches You

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

One would think there's not much more to say about the empty life of druggy, fringy youth in L.A.'s San Fernando valley. But this film messes with our expectations in lovely ways, and ends up as a comedy-drama that's human and surprising. Calling a film like this 'little' is no pejorative. If it was 'bigger' (budget, stars) it probably would have had it's jagged edges shorn off, and with them would have gone much of it's special-ness. The acting is terrific. Dree Hemingway makes the air-headed, hottie lead wonderfully vapid and annoying – at first – and lets us only slowly come to appreciate her humanity underneath. Besedka Johnson, in her film debut as the 85 year old that Hemingway stumbles into an uneasy friendship with makes her character equal parts spiky defensive exterior and vulnerable, needy center, giving reality and depth to this sad, touchy recluse. The photography is also very evocative; its ugly, bleached color and slightly off-kilter but deliberate framings are far more interesting than is common in a micro-budget indie. And the film makes some brave choices, like a few seconds of extreme and un-simulated sexuality that makes points about character and our perceptions by being both shocking and banal at the same time. My only real frustrations were that a few of the plot twists felt forced – too neat and coincidental for a film this grounded in feeling 'real'. But that was nowhere near enough of a problem to keep me from feeling very warm indeed about this odd-ball character study.

This darkly funny and warm-hearted indie struck me the right way, although if you're easily offended it may not be for you. It can be quite sexually explicit at times with very raw language throughout.Set in Los Angeles, Dree Hemingway, whose screen presence and mannerisms remind me so much of her mother Mariel, stars as Jane, a young woman who decides to give her room a make-over. She starts to buy items at various yard sales, one of which is a large thermos that she purchases from an elderly woman named Sadie. Sadie is magnificently portrayed by Besedka Johnson, who has a remarkable personal story as well that I read on Wikipedia. This was her first movie, as she was discovered working out at a gym at the age of 85. Sadly, she passed away earlier this year.In the thermos Jane purchased she discovers after bringing it home that it contains thousands of dollars in rolled up hundreds. She's undecided as to how to handle this, and at one point brings it back to Sadie but is rebuffed before she can say much by the irritable woman. Jane finally decides to keep the money, but also decides in very clever ways to insert herself into Sadie's life, to help her with errands or in any way she can. This remarkable possible bonding between the two is the real heart of the movie, and I thought extremely well scripted and presented by the director Sean Baker, who also co-wrote the script with Chris Bergoch.We don't find out till about half way through the film that Jane is a porno actress, as is her emotionally volatile housemate Melissa, ably played by Stella Maeve. They're both sharing the house with Melissa's boyfriend Mikey (James Ransone), who seems like a nice guy but has no guilt about selling drugs, pimping, or shooting porno movies to raise cash.When Jane goes to work on the set is where the scenes can be quite sexually explicit, and they don't leave much to the imagination. There's also, as mentioned plenty of nudity and raw language as well.The surprise ending I thought was very poignant and touching, in my opinion. Of course, let me not forget Starlet, the incredibly cute Chihuahua of Jane's. He's a rescue dog and won my heart early on and he becomes an important part of the film as well.All in all, I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this indie that I picked up at my local library.

When I attended a screening of this indie at the 2013 Glasgow Film Festival there were only four other people in the auditorium! But we happy few saw a real gem: Dree Hemingway plays a young porn star who buys a flask from an old woman (Besedka Johnson), only to discover the flask contains several thousand dollars. When Johnson, thinking she's after a refund, refuses to discuss the flask, Hemingway resolves to do the older woman good turns instead, and gradually a relationship develops between the two.In a way it's a shame there's so much swearing and sexual content (including a scene of unsimulated sex) in the film, as the central soapy portrayal of the friendship between the two women means it would fit nicely in the inoffensive Sunday afternoon slot on BBC2, if it were more family-friendly. It's not perfect: Hemingway's Valley girl drawl is wearing at times, and some of the dialogue has the smell of "workshopped-dialogue-don't-know-how-to-bring-this-scene-to-a-close" about it, but minor gripes aside this is a nice character piece and I'd happily watch it again, even if it means breaking my 'no performing animals' rule (thankfully the dog - the 'Starlet' of the title - isn't asked to do anything dogs don't normally do).

STARLET is a bold and original independent film. It's not afraid to go places most indies would shy away from, mostly due to not landing a distribution deal etc. That is just one of the many reasons why STARLET has true independent spirit.I saw STARLET at SXSW earlier this year and it was the most exciting narrative to come out of the fest. Sean Baker is a fearless filmmaker that has already established himself with a diverse body of work. He's one I'll be watching for a longtime to come.And of course this short review/praise would be incomplete without mentioning the breakthrough performance by Dree Hemingway. You could tell she had complete faith in Baker and it showed in her performance. It's a risky role that she seemed to handle gracefully. STARLET is a film that challenges it's viewers. It challenges our prejudices and preconceived notions, but it does so with a heart.Honorable mention: The brilliant, and almost effortless, performance by the dog, "Starlet".