Girl Asleep

source: Girl Asleep

I really wanted to like this movie and you can tell that everyone involved is trying hard for you to really like this movie. Maybe that's the problem - everyone is trying too hard. This starts out looking as though it wants to be a quirky comedy with elements of satire. I like that sort of movie. Making a movie in that genre requires a clever script and a deft director. Sadly, this movie has neither. All the other ingredients are there but, unfortunately, they don't gel together and this 'comedy' just isn't funny. To make matters worse, about 35 minutes in, this movie does a complete u-turn and becomes a demented fantasy. It is really, really tedious. I kept watching to the end because I thought that maybe we we're heading towards a denouement that would draw it all together and then everything would make sense. That didn't happen. The best thing about this movie is that it is only 77 minutes long. If you want to see a clever, quirky (also) Australian comedy set in the same era as this (1970s?), try and find Swinging Safari from 2018. That is everything this movie tries to be but isn't.

Girl Asleep is a imaginative take on the wild ride that is adolescence. This tale is told from the perspective of Greta, an awkward Australian teen who moves to a new house & school on the precipice of her 15th birthday. Having moved to a new city around the same time in my life, I definitely identified with Greta's plight--the difficulties of making new friends in a place where it seems everyone knows each other, all while dealing with hormones, mean girls & overbearing parents. The family dynamics between Greta, her kooky parents (a dad who loves short-shorts & potty humor, a mom who matches her outfits to the meals she makes & works out on a stationary bike in wedge heels) and a surly, world-wise older sister, make for plenty of hilarious moments. Originally a stage play, written by Matthew Whittet (who also adapted the screenplay & plays Greta's father), this film takes place in the 1970s, with a groovy soundtrack to match (including SYLVESTER!). The color palette is eye-catching, and found somewhere in the center of a venn diagram joining Napoleon Dynamite & any Wes Anderson flick. The subtitles for the passing of time (& even the opening title) are cleverly interwoven into the scenes--appearing on a basketball or the growth chart on a bedroom door. I just realized that if I sat here & told you all the fun, quirky details in this movie, we could be here for hours. . . so I will move on from that. For the first 45 minutes of this movie, non-stop laughter filled the theater, at times making it hard to hear the dialog. We are all far enough removed from this age that we can easily laugh about the parts that made adolescence traumatic at the time. (To preface Chaplin &/or Keaton, "Tragedy is a close-up. Comedy, a long-shot".) When her parents throw her a birthday party (without her blessing), a trio of mean girls show up with a "present" for Greta in the form of a song called "You've Got No Tits" (which I've had stuck in my head since last night). With that, Greta retreats to her room, and the dream sequence begins (hence, the title). The heroine's quest for a music box that ensues is a perfect allegory for navigating the space between childhood & womanhood. This was the first foray into film for director Rosemary Myers & I look forward to seeing more of her work on the big screen.

(Flash Review) Combine Wes Anderson, Napoleon Dynamite, some surreal moments and you get a picture of the film's style. Greta is a girl about to turn 15 years old, who is shy and doesn't have many friends and has no intention of changing her ways until her parents throw her a big 15th birthday party that threaten her comfort zone. Once threatened, her imagination runs wild! Energetic little film from Australia. Full of bold colors, fun costumes, peculiar characters, meaningful shot framing and odd creativity. My main problem with the film is after a great build up and plot development, to me, the director loses command of the story. It feels a bit scattered or the tone switches too much for my taste but maybe that is part of his intent. Overall, it was a very fun experience.

I really enjoyed this Australian coming of age film with a 1970s vibe. It has a Napoleon Dynamite/Moonrise Kingdom feel with a bit of magic thrown in and if that's what you like, you'll enjoy this. It had a few good one-liners that friends still quote today. The only this missing is an official release of the soundtrack, still most of the song are available to buy individually.

Greta is new in town. New school, new friends and she will be turning 15 soon! Some weird fantasies running through her teenage mind. She is confused about herself, not knowing how to get in touch with her peers. And few popular (and mean) school girls make pressure on her. As if that were not bad enough, her mother planned to organize a birthday party with Greta's new school mates... Bethany Whitmore doing great job here as Greta. You can really feel with her. Unconventional fantasy story give you a thrill. Supporting characters are on the right place. Really good soundtrack with 70's feeling is really enjoyable. This is an amazing, warm hearted, visually brilliant coming-of-age movie. Watch it!

Amazing movie about transformation courage becoming oneself deeply spiritual .About finding oneself and the torment and challenge and courage it takes to be free and liberated to establish oneself in this life and world we live in

This is a short Aussie film, kind of inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland', but originally based on the stage play of the same name. A teen comedy set in the 70s and revolved around a birthday party. So, newly moved into the town, Greta, finds hard to make friends, except a boy. Entering 15th, her family wants to throw a big birthday party inviting her new schoolmates, against her will. On the occasion, something goes wrong and the next minute, she's in a strange place with strange events and people. Her adventure begins to return home and the party she had left behind in halfway which revealed in the rest of the film. I thought it was a children's and family film, but some of the references like relating to sex was a bold move. Though nothing was serious, if you are not considering the matter to the deep. It was just like any teen film, a simple topic. Creatively enough, but not impressive enough film. Those 70s were the plus point, especially for a comedy, that timeline is always so funny. Decent performances and filmmaking, should have been improvised the screenplay. But my guess is the budget. It is a small cost film, but if they had better financing, surely they would have pulled it off so much better than this. Now it is an average coming-of-age comedy- fantasy, but worth a watch if you are not forcing yourself into it. 5/10

The first half of the film was wonderful (I'd give it 9 stars)! It was witty, artistic, imaginative, and delt with really world issues. The characters were fresh and complex, and their conflicts and choices were intriguing. However, halfway through it started to loose all of that, except some of the imaginative aspect, but in a style so unlike the rest of the film it's jarring.

I have never been more thankful that I took a chance on a movie. This film shattered all of my expectations and resonated with me for days after I saw it. Whoever wrote it truly captured what goes on inside the mind of a fifteen year old girl and they knew how to illustrate her feelings and not dismiss them as nonsense or drama. I would recommend this movie most for creative and artistic types. If The Hangover is your favorite movie, this is probably not the film for you. The dialogue flows nicely in this movie and the characters are very real. I think people of any age would thoroughly enjoy this film, they just have to make sure to really think about what each scene means and not just see what is on the surface. I really felt for the protagonist and it made me remember how turbulent my teen years were and how everyone is just so quick to dismiss, label or emotionally torture you when you are in high school. They really portrayed that so beautifully. Greta's dream is a poetic experience that reflects the torrent of emotions she is feeling in her changing life. The ending absolutely blew me away, I wasn't expecting that at all. I was really able to understand all of the metaphors throughout her vision as well, though some of them hit me the very next day. You will not be disappointed if you take a chance on this whimsical film. The acting of Greta and Elliott are amazing, the story is beautiful and the ending is sure to warm your heart.