Considering this is Sian Heder's first feature film, I would keep her name in mind for future reference. Tallulah is a brilliant study of four different characters who continue to bring us down a road of conflict. When misfit Tallulah is forced into a childcare situation, she struggles with the child's upbringing and decides that she is more fit to take care of the child than the biological mother is. Through deception, Tallulah "kidnaps" the child and the story starts to unravel from there. Continual conflicts arise along the way ranging from rich vs. poor to individual values vs. family values.
All of the characters keep us wondering what will happen next throughout the movie. They are each stuck in their own world, but also show flexibility. Ellen Page (Inception, Juno, X-Men: Days of Future Past) takes an outstanding role as a "homeless" young adult who just cannot find her path in life. Page has shown excellence throughout her acting career and this might just be her best performance to date. The rest of the cast bring their own unique acting styles to the mix. Allison Janney (Finding Nemo, Juno) plays a woeful and lonely mother who has a lot of money but clearly cannot buy her own happiness with it. Tammy Blanchard (Into the Woods, Blue Jasmine) also acts as a mother who is too rich to figure out how to take care of her child. I've never seen such an immature and yet middle-aged woman who is so bad at taking care of her child.
With all of these characters, there are many twists and turns that Heder throws us down. I found myself trying to predict what was going to happen next, but I was constantly at a loss. With all of the twists and turns the film is still subtle, keeping a realistic vibe to the film. Earlier today I wrote a short piece about Little Men, Ira Sachs's newest film. Tallulah and Little Men match each other tonally, making the films great for a double feature. Both films also take a lot of time in helping us get to know the characters. By the end of the Tallulah, I felt as though I knew every character inside and out. Often we do not get this connection with big name actors, but this script was well fleshed out producing the connection.
The Bottom Line: In a medium dominated by action and special effects, Heder brings us a film that focuses solely on characters and their deep development.
Score: 9.6/10
Image credit: https://teaser-trailer.com/wp-content/uploads/tallulah-movie-1.jpg
All of the characters keep us wondering what will happen next throughout the movie. They are each stuck in their own world, but also show flexibility. Ellen Page (Inception, Juno, X-Men: Days of Future Past) takes an outstanding role as a "homeless" young adult who just cannot find her path in life. Page has shown excellence throughout her acting career and this might just be her best performance to date. The rest of the cast bring their own unique acting styles to the mix. Allison Janney (Finding Nemo, Juno) plays a woeful and lonely mother who has a lot of money but clearly cannot buy her own happiness with it. Tammy Blanchard (Into the Woods, Blue Jasmine) also acts as a mother who is too rich to figure out how to take care of her child. I've never seen such an immature and yet middle-aged woman who is so bad at taking care of her child.
With all of these characters, there are many twists and turns that Heder throws us down. I found myself trying to predict what was going to happen next, but I was constantly at a loss. With all of the twists and turns the film is still subtle, keeping a realistic vibe to the film. Earlier today I wrote a short piece about Little Men, Ira Sachs's newest film. Tallulah and Little Men match each other tonally, making the films great for a double feature. Both films also take a lot of time in helping us get to know the characters. By the end of the Tallulah, I felt as though I knew every character inside and out. Often we do not get this connection with big name actors, but this script was well fleshed out producing the connection.
The Bottom Line: In a medium dominated by action and special effects, Heder brings us a film that focuses solely on characters and their deep development.
Score: 9.6/10
Image credit: https://teaser-trailer.com/wp-content/uploads/tallulah-movie-1.jpg
