One of my festival favorites from back in 2016 is finally available to rent or own digitally, Irving Franco’s directorial debut Cheerleader! It’s a movie that has never really left my thoughts over the last couple years, one that I’ve been dying to rewatch and be able to recommend to friends since it premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival. You can check out my original review here.
Cheerleader is a super stylish film that dives headlong into its 1980s setting, lavishly costumed and decorated to bring a neon sensibility to its time period. Catherine Blades is fantastic as the titular cheerleader Mickey, and her inner monologue will break your heart. While most of the characters have starting points as prototypical high schoolers, they end up all feeling like they have rich inner lives. On a new viewing, I was really struck by how tight the narrative is, in terms of both script and editing; it's got a short runtime of 69 minutes, and never drags for even a second. The score, composed by Franco and Michael Grazi (now available on Spotify!), is another highlight, really giving the film a dreamy feel akin to Air's score to The Virgin Suicides.
This has been one of those treasured movie finds that has stuck with me over the last few years, and I'm thrilled that those who missed it on the festival circuit now have a chance to dive into Mickey's world. Rent or own on Amazon or Itunes!
This has been one of those treasured movie finds that has stuck with me over the last few years, and I'm thrilled that those who missed it on the festival circuit now have a chance to dive into Mickey's world. Rent or own on Amazon or Itunes!
No comments:
Post a Comment