Review of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) by Edwin P — 25 Dec 2015

Quality films that specifically target the YA crowd are far and few in between. So it is very refreshing when one actually defies all conventions and clichés usually associated with this genre and in the process, captures the hearts and minds of its target audience. With a well-suited cast, humor and an intelligent script it is easy to decipher why this won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

During the course of this film, the lead character who is also the narrator says, "So if this was a touching romantic story, this is probably where a new feeling would awash over me and suddenly we would be furiously making out with the fire of a thousand suns. But this isn't a touching romantic story.".

The key to believing those words is whether we have a reliable narrator or not. That you will have to find out for yourself. One thing is for sure though - the film is not one to romanticize a tragic disease. That in itself is why "Me and Earl" is a fresh look at friendship and growing up in high school.