White Girl (2016)

Very well executed

one of my absolute favorites!

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

As the review title suggests, I was impressed by the acting in this film. In fact, the performances are phenomenal -- especially from Morgan Saylor. Absolutely fearless.It's nice to see a movie that depicts people as real people in real places instead of as hyper-real, campy, or contrived. I personally know people who made the move from small towns/small cities to the big city and this story rings true on a number of levels.Watching the characters descend into what seems to be an unrecoverable downward spiral is fascinating both by the tragedy of it and the accelerated pace that this film presents. As such, the tight editing in this movie should also be mentioned. The narrative flows smoothly throughout.Leah's encounters with the various 'pitfalls' of the big city proceed to take a notch off of her over-confident view that she is an invincible thrill-seeker -- free of consequence.So it is then that the final scene of her sitting down to the first day of the second year of college is all that more jarring. It makes you really wonder what kind of history your classmates have. Behind each face is a story, and hers is so extreme that it threatens to rip her right out of functional society. One change that I think might have resulted in even more impact would have been to make it the first day of her first year at college. She could still have been the same age (perhaps taking some time off after graduating high school). That way she'd truly be moving into new territory with a nearly-destroyed frame-of-reference. As it is though, it's still an effective ending that leaves the audience to ponder what is either her new beginning or the start of a new crash.What is most haunting is that Blue will probably always hate her and will never know the sacrifices that she made to try to help him (however misguided her methods were).

This film is difficult to watch for someone who is not in their teens or early 20's anymore. If you were a wild one at this age, it's not hard to see from the opening lines of the movie where the film is headed. Leah is every parents worst nightmare. Having been a nightmare myself it's very difficult to watch her spiral into the dumpster, continuously crawling back out again. She is that friend everyone is sick of babysitting. She seemingly has no limits or lines she will not cross. For this reason, she is taken advantage of by some of the world's dirtiest scumbags. There is, to my surprise, only one rape scene. (unless you count her disgusting boss) It is not overdone and is exactly what happens to women under the influence every single day. I can feel that the film was directed and written by a woman. If you are a woman who has been in any of these scenarios you will feel as if you were right there with Leah. The drinking paired with the sex, drugs, and alcohol all feel true to life. The rape is accurately and realistically played out. The drug dealer, Blue, tells her early on that he doesn't mess with cocaine yet for the duration of the movie he seems to have no problem with her snorting it all away. That part didn't make sense to me. He stated his boundaries surrounding her interest in drugs, outside of MJ, but then he was seemingly okay with it later. Her boss played by, Justin Bartha, was well done. Although a smaller role Bartha played the part well. He is someone in a position of power who constantly plays on her naivety and addiction. It is incredibly grueling to watch. I wanted to turn the movie off half way into it. I'm glad I didn't. If every drama were pleasant to watch, they wouldn't be true to life. White girl is just that. True to the real world and the unfortunate reality that many of us women face in our lifetime. Some reviewers stated how it seems unrealistic that someone would try so hard to free a man they just met from prison. It is not that far fetched when you look at how impulsive all of her other decisions were leading up to this point in the film. It is not an easy watch but it's definitely worth it. I hope to see more of Wood's work in the future.

Likened to Larry Clark's controversial Kids, White Girl sheds light on an often known, but cloaked, New York City lifestyle, riddled with malice and a fleeting sense of love and acceptance. Morgan Saylor's performance is reminiscent of Rachel Miner in Clark's Bully, and her wanton romance with co-star Brian Marc offers viewers a titillating look into the makings of a bad romance. Director Elizabeth Wood seems to have a similar taste in story and directing style as Clark, and, following this directorial debut, her future filmography seems promising. The story delves deep into the examination of 'white privilege' and the grips of a disadvantaged, urban class. While the romance between Saylor and Marc's characters may seem fanciful and impractical, Wood invites us to suspend our disbelief and open our eyes to an alarming reality that faces millennials in love. And by the film's end, just like Saylor's character, Leah, we are left asking what we would do in the name of love. The on screen chemistry between all of the characters seemed genuine, believable, and compelling. The most enjoyable aspects of the film were letting go as a viewer and following a seemingly ordinary college student into a dark world characterized by drugs, sex, and, what should be, reggae-ton. It's not a world many have traversed, but one that has aimed to seduce many of us in our youths. The soundtrack accompanying the scenes makes the film feel like a celluloid of simultaneous nostalgia and insanity. Can a young, White girl attending college in New York fall into the hands of a charming drug dealer? The plot is far from implausible, as some of the scenes may lead on, and it's a journey that at times is ugly and rife with melancholy.The film does not bear much re-watch value, but it does hold strong as the first edition in a hopefully favorable series of films that explore the "underground" of urban teens and their escapades.

Firstly, I love this movie and I laughed at another review where someone said the characters were awful and he hated them so he voted it a 1 star. My take is that the lead character was awful, and stupid, and foolhardy, and not a little seedy. But that's because Morgan Saylor worked so very hard to bring that character to life. She reminded me of a young Michelle Williams: totally lacking self- consciousness and totally absorbed into the role. The story of course is sleazy and sordid, and the characters are all making poor decisions and have values that don't match wider society's. But that's the whole point, it's telling again the story of young teens growing up in this drug ridden world and how easy it is to sink lower and lower into depravity in your quest for the next high. There is of course racial undertones right through the movie and the end point is massively telling. America will probably never be rid of racism and probably never rid of drugs either...the world never changes. Brilliant watch, great story, fantastic directing and beautiful acting. I loved this film.