Review of The Young Kieslowski (2014) by Lee M — 25 Jul 2015

One of my favorite films at L.A. Film Festival this year was 'The Well' and so I'm glad to see the star of that film, Haley Lu Richardson, again in another film this season titled THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI. I think Haley is a revelation and in this dramedy, she's proven herself once more. THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI has the emotional tug and quirkiness of 'Juno' and the problems with choices and options of 'Obvious Child'. It's an emotionally powerful little film about what it means to be there for someone.

The story is boy meets girl, boy gets girl pregnant, boy says he's in to support her, kinda sorta, and girl doesn't know exactly where the boy stands. It's not Judd Apatow's 'Knocked Up', that's for sure, there's no Seth Rogen or Katherine Heigl or potty raunchy frat jokes in this film. In fact, the character Brian Kieslowski, played by Ryan Malgarini is your text book nerd, smart, with a promising future, and the same goes for the girl, Leslie Mallard, played by the rising star, Haley Lu Richardson. But while Ryan is sexually frustrated, just like most nerds are, Leslie faces your typical teen conflict, uncertain about the support she's getting from her Christian group, trying to find a place where she can belong, and with a headstrong father who does make good points but have a repelling way of addressing them. Long story short, Brian and Leslie have on night stand, Leslie gets pregnant with twins and the rest is a journey of finding out whether this story end up hopeful or uncertain.

Stories like this hit close to home for me because I do have a family member who happened to have a child at such a young age and she's still figuring out what to do with her future. So what writer/director Kerem Sanga has crafted is not anything that's far-fetched or doesn't make light of the situation, a lot of people can relate to TH EYOUNG KIESLOWSKI. This dramedy is well-balanced, well-structured, and Sanga knows exactly what each character is contemplating or struggling through. That fear that comes with not knowing whether or not you are ready for such a huge responsibility, that's the underlying theme of THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI and it's done in such a fantastic manner, that you can't help but feel for even the headstrong father, because you Sanga wrote it in such a way in which you can understand where everyone's coming from, every argument, every dialogue, every second-guessing and hesitation is justified, that's how solid this little movie is. It even quotes Hamlet and appropriately applies it to the matter at hand. THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI is not preachy, it never means to tell you to go one way or the other, it's just letting you know that these things aren't easy and what the people involved really need from you in times like these.