Mouth to Mouth DVD Review

"Mouth To Mouth" reviews

DVD

Mouth To Mouth

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2008-06-13 16:50:16

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

Hard nosed indie film-making brings us a tale of reckless youth and cultish escapism with Juno star Ellen Page.

Sherry's desperate to escape the rudimentary existence of home and school life. So a leaflet about SPARKS (Street People Armed With Radical Knowledge) literally does that to her imagination and enthusiasm. She joins them on a tour of Europe through Germany, Spain and onto a Portuguese vineyard where they aim to live out their idea of an alternative, self-sufficient culture. However, they're a rag bag of runaways, orphans, ex-junkies and alternative-lifers led by Harry - who's pretty much mentor and tormentor - their key inspiration to reach for something better, but also for dealing out punishment for wrong doing. Add to that Sherry's mum turning up at a festival and being semi-adopted by the group (she buys in to the lifestyle - hasn't she got a job?) and you can figure this is not going to be a neat happy ending.

It's tough and it's blunt. Not everyone gets out alive and there's questionable tactics and antics by the leaders of SPARKS. This is based on events in director Alison Murray's life and has garnered awards and plaudits at indie festivals. Unsurprisingly however, it's Page's performance that is the evident standout due to her breakthrough notoriety (This was made straight after Hard Candy, but two years before Juno). That said both Mum (Natasha Wightman) and Harry (Eric Thal) give powerful performances too; full of contradictions with bitterness, rage and love in a twisted mess of pain. It's an emotional roller coaster that doesn't end well for some, and gruesome too, making you feel for those that bought into the dream - which must inevitably flounder as all pure ideologies do - especially when it comes to film making.

Copyright © MRIB 2008.