Over / Under movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Over / Under

This coming-of-age movie premieres at the San Francisco Film Festival on April 30, 2022

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 28 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

It’s the summer of 2002. Violet and Stella are nine years old and inseparable. They spend their days playing in waves, catching butterflies, sending wishes to fairies, and spying on nude adults at the beach. But then, the summer ends. Stella has friends back home, but would rather talk with them about mermaids than tampons. A lonely Violet attracts the attention of a vicious bully, while silently processing her changing body. Over the next few summers the girls come together, but puberty, boys, family trauma, and the desire to “fit in” all begin to threaten the magic of their friendship. Over/Under is a story of innocence and loss of innocence. Violet and Stella teach us about the deepest kind of friendship and remind us just how delicate childhood really is.

The film was directed by Sophia Silver. She also wrote it along with Sianni Rosenstock.

THINGS I LIKED:

Young starlets Emajean Bullock and Anastasia Veronica Lee have a bright future in film if they’d like one. They’re both adorable and completely natural in front of the camera.
Other cast members include Adam David Thompson, Madeline Wise, Brandon Keener, and Christian Seidel.
You get to see some bioluminescence in the ocean when the girls are on vacation at the beach. I don’t know if it was CGI in the movie, but I’ve seen it in real life and it’s extremely cool!
Screen cards let you know how much time has passed and where the scenes are located.
Lovely music.

NO TRAILER IS AVAILABLE YET

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The conversations the girls have are often very intimate, revolving around their maturing bodies. (See “Tips for Parents” below.) Parents may not want younger children watching this.
A lot of viewers will complain that “nothing happens.”
The focus is really on the two young girls, although I would like to have explored more of the family dynamics since those relationships absolutely affected the girls and their mindset.
I would like to have seen a bigger character arc for both girls.
As a mother, I started to really worry about these girls, seeing that they were on a path toward sexual activity at such a young age. It made me sad that neither of their mothers was having helpful conversations with their daughter about that. Sadly, both of the mothers seemed very preoccupied with other matters.
I’d love to hear why YOU think the movie was titled “Over / Under.”
When I first saw the movie poster, I wondered if this was going to be a lesbian-discovery story.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

The film starts out with the two girls praying to morning moths as they make wishes to fairies.
Two young girls look at naked people on a nude beach. We see their reactions but not the nude people. They talk about the shapes and sizes of people’s private parts.
Two young girls shower together and talk about a birthmark.
A pre-teen shows her under-arm hair that’s growing.
Bullying by mean girls
You see blood on toilet paper and learn that a girl has begun her period for the first time.
Conversations about french kissing and going to second base.
Boys will be completely bored.

THEMES:

Family
Alzheimer’s
Friendship
Divorce
Cancer
Kindness
Showing support to loved ones and friends

INTERESTING LINES:

“Everybody dies, Stella.” – David Steinberg (Adam David Thompson) “When?” – Stella (Anastasia Veronica Lee) “Not for a very long time.” – David Steinberg

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+