Review of Palo Alto (2014) by Kyle B — 14 Sep 2014
Gia Coppola's directorial debut captures the aimlessness of adolescence and the cruelty of high school. Emma Roberts delivers another great performance as April, a sensitive high school senior who hasn't yet fallen into the disaffected posture that all of her friends have taken on.
Watching her navigate her first love, her first time, and many "first" experiences reminded me of my own high school experience. The mask of "I don't care about anything" that so many teens try to put up so that they can fit in or avoid thinking about how hopeless they feel is so exposed in this film.
Coppola opens up those wounds on screen, and we feel the same fear, tension, anxiety, and pain that they feel. We want to help them escape the self-focused bubble of high school, but we know that they have to go through this to get to the other side.
It's an interesting film, and one of the few surprise gems of the year for me.
This review of Palo Alto (2014) was written by Kyle B on 14 Sep 2014.
Palo Alto has generally received positive reviews.
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