Rating: 3/5
Georgie is vacuuming while trying to avoid a spider. Ali has given them names like Napoleon and Alexander the Great.
She has the five stages of grief pinned to the fridge. She’s scratched off stages one and two.
She and Ali steal some bikes to sell and make cash for rent.
She claims to be living with her uncle, Winston Churchill but is on her own after her mum died. She gets the guy at the corner store to record snippets of dialogue to be the uncle on calls from social services.
Suddenly, Jason shows up, climbing over the backyard fence. Jason is her dad, whom she hasn’t met before. He’s been in Ibiza, but now he’s here.
Georgia and Ali plot a way to get rid of him. That isn’t easy since he threatens to report her to Social if she tries.
Jason wins over Ali by being helpful, including telling them to scratch off the serials of their stolen bikes.
As Jason takes on a more parental role, he learns the difference between Georgie liking and needing him.
The stylistic flourishes are madcap. The director says this is intentional and to give the film more of Georgie’s perspective. I would buy it if the style choices were more consistent, but they feel more like a collection of flourishes they wanted to use.
For example, we cut to interviews with some adults and kids. It’s filmed in a 16mm style. We don’t encounter them in other contexts.
They play a game where they create fictional conversations for people. It’s pretty cute.
There’s plenty to like here. Some of it is a tad too twee for me, but it’s a charming debut from Charlotte Regan.