Samantha Rose – Movie Review
94 Minutes, Not Rated
Written and Directed by Andrew Morgan
Synopsis:
Samantha Rose returns to her hometown in northern Oregon and is reunited with a childhood friend and his misfit commune of friends where they work the fall harvest on the surrounding vineyards. Sam is lost, working a dead-end job, and afraid to pursue a real life of her own, while this ragtag family of runaways are fearless and free, leading Sam on a journey of discovery and healing.
Watch the trailer HERE.
What sets Samantha Rose apart from other “kid comes home” -type movies? Well, I suppose it boils down to the sense of authenticity of it all.
Yes, director Andrew Morgan used “non-actors” in the supporting roles, with only Sam Rose as the “actor,” albeit in their first lead role.
By shooting during the Covid unpleasantness, Morgan creates an intimate, familial atmosphere as we move through the film. The cynic in me wants to say this is the result of a somewhat nebulous script being worked by artists (as opposed to actors) who don’t know how it’s supposed to be done, and so are simply doing it.
Familiar family dynamics, not overblown spectacle, make the story relatable to the audience, and a lack of urgency on the part of the characters allows us to slow down, take a breath, and evaluate our feelings for each of them (for good or ill).
A few takeaways/random thoughts as I watched:
- A person’s childhood is something which shouldn’t be romanticized or demonized. It is neither better nor worse than you remember it.
- Family is where you find/make it.
- Not sure I needed the neo-hippie guitar circle.
- Sometimes, the best thing to do in a given situation is to just LOVE.
- Fucking children think they have it worse than everyone in the history of EVER!
- Here’s a line you won’t hear in too many movies: “I’m a pretty good masturbator.”
Overall, Samantha Rose is a well-crafted, competently-presented indie film which should please any but the most hardened viewer.
Samantha Rose is available digitally now, from Freestyle Digital Media and Shark Party Media.
Samantha Rose stars Sam Rose, Allison Berman, Johnny Dawson, Marla Freeman, Nicholas Horiatis, Matthew Danger Lippman, Vilem McKael, and Natalia Ruiz-Heinsohn.
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