Review of Colma: The Musical (2006) by Sarah A — 14 May 2008

I could speak for hours on the town of Colma, CA -- a town which has a higher population of dead people than living, a suburb of San Francisco, home to Red Lobster, Sizzler, and Serramonte shopping center.

I spent many a night at the movie theater (which was later closed due to a rat infestation), and many an afternoon at the discount book store. Parking always available and chances of running into anyone I knew from school were minimal.

So obviously, when I heard there was a film that existed titled 'Colma - The Musical' I was very intrigued. What started out as a laugh at the inside jokes of knowing details about 'Colma', slowly morphed into my appreciation of a very well made, very likable, and very entertaining musical film.

I have nothing but respect for Richard Wong. His cinamatography was inventive and original. The music was catchy and unpretentious and the characters were well developed and realistic. I appreciated that the actors took their parts seriously and unless it was called for, never 'camped' it up.

This more than deserved Special Jury Prize at Sundance! Congrats to the (mostly) native San Franciscan cast and crew! This is a coming of age film that outdoes any I have seen in a very long time.