God Help the Girl (2014)
Starring: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray
Directed By: Stuart Murdoch
Written By: Stuart Murdoch
Release Date: Sept. 5, 2014
Rating: 2.5/5
Summary: Eve, a girl dealing with some underlying psychological problems, begins writing music and meets some friends in the process.
My Thoughts: "I know I have to eat, and I know how to eat. I know I wasn't looking after myself, but I'll do okay."
I adore Emily Browning a lot. Her work in Sleeping Beauty, Plush, Sucker Punch and even The Uninvited,however this film wasn't one of her stronger ones. Here we have a musical of some sorts, where we have Emily Browning's character begin in a mental institute. We later find out about the reason why she's in there (an eating disorder), but not much is touched on that issue. It's thrown around and mentioned, but it is core issue in the movie? Not really even though she was placed in the institution because of it. We get no mention of a backstory for any of the characters and the movie just moves on. However, later, Eve escapes the institute to go to a show and meets James, (Olly Alexander) whom she later moves in with. After meeting James' friend, Cassie, they form a band and then what?
Not much. The band is a great band and they aren't your typical hipster-indie band. The sound is unique and fresh and the music is what the movie leans heavily on. The musical numbers involving Eve and her friends randomly breaking out in song are what drive the movie and keep you watching rather than the story itself, but that's partially because of the script. The musical numbers are directed brilliantly and that's probably partially because of Stuart Murdoch's involvement in music as he's the lead singer in the band Belle and Sebastian, a band I really enjoy. The costumes, the choreography and the music are all fantastic, but the movie itself is not well-written, so there's no room for any character development whatsoever, but Browning attempts to get past it with her impeccable charm. However, there's only so much she can do. Everything in this film is vibrant and colorful and it's a very unique, cheerful movie if we're moving past the weakly written characters and lack of backstory. God Help The Girl is a movie to be seen if you like musicals, indie music or are a musician yourself as there are things you can take from the movie and appreciate, however, if you're expecting a grand coming-of-age story, besides the bittersweet ending, you'll be left feeling disappointed.
