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18 of 18 people found the above review helpful
Loving Annabelle is one of the most brilliant films I have ever seen.
Watching the film once isn’t enough for complete understanding of the story which offers varied layers that need to be explored and interpreted. It’s not just superficial narration but soulful presentation of an emotional saga. As Annabelle rightly explains Whitman’s poem “through love we feel the intensity of our connection to everyone and at the core we are all the same”
The performances by Erin Kelly and Diane Gaidry are heart wrenching. The onscreen chemistry is incredible. Katherine Brooks as handled a controversial subject with sensitive ease.
The characters are well sketched – Annabelle is free spirited, comfortable with her sexuality and sure of what she wants. She defines her own rules and lives by them. Simone is her antithesis. She is more restrained; abides by the prescribed regulations of society and religion however she is often shown struggling to ‘figure it all out’. Her subtle defiant streak comes out on rare occasions when she ‘allows the girls to order pizza sometimes’, lets a pet porcupine live in the hostel and drives Annabelle to her beach house though she isn’t allowed to take students off-campus.
Annabelle’s audacity is one aspect that draws Simone towards her. Her maturity and sensitivity are other endearing features. Her disarming smile and relentless pursuit eventually melt Simone’s heart. It’s a hard emotional and moral battle that Simone fights with herself but is ultimately overpowered by intense feelings for Annabelle. She portrays heart rending vulnerability during the school dance when she is seen smiling with her lips and crying with her eyes at the same time. Simone’s emotional state is matched by Annabelle’s desperate pining with the song “In the space between what’s wrong and right, you will find me waiting for you…”.When two people are so deeply and helplessly connected the only option for them is to be together. The love making scene towards the end is beautifully picturized with the sole purpose of expression of passionate love that the two characters are feeling for each other in that moment.
The background music of the film is absolutely captivating. The only possible flaw in the movie is its length. The main characters feel so close to your heart that you can’t get enough of them. To complete the plot there are several other believable characters – a rigid headmistress, a confused boyfriend, a resentful classmate. In spite of the short duration the narration is not compromised. The story is told completely; the ending is left open and many questions are left unanswered. And there in lies the brilliance of the story teller. She makes one think.
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