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Golino gives the football-loving Gioia a remarkably open-handed emotionality as a closed-off woman who begins to blossom when she finds someone she cares for. The magnetic Nanni makes Alessio a natural charmer, effortlessly seducing everyone he meets. It's obvious that Gioia would fall for him, and also that she would know how pointless that is. It's painful to watch her fall so deeply, but Golino plays her naive hopefulness with lovely sensitivity.

As the narrative unfolds, it gets increasingly tricky to factor everyone's private motivations into the equation. Is Alessio genuinely interested in Gioia? Because she truly cares for him. But there is always the very real possibility that he is only using her. So where the story goes feels both inevitable and unexpected. And when things turn melodramatic in the twisty and somewhat extended final act, the film keeps us guessing how it might end. Even though we already know.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

8.Mar.26

Everyone on-screen feels bracingly authentic. Rohrwacher conveys feelings with her full physicality, nicely understating how Marta tries to conceal how badly she's hurting. By contrast, Germano's Antonio plays the casual macho game in public while silently pining for Marta. These are strongly nuanced performances that never strike a false note. They're introspective and sympathetic, so we can't help but root for these two lovely people to simply speak to each other again. And when they do, it's revelatory.

This is a remarkably astute portrait of how things we used to love can become minor annoyances, turning into larger barriers if we let them. Just as powerful is the way the film depicts how other people always have ignorant theories to explain your breakup and your feelings. "You do things in life that don't make sense," Antonio says as he begins processing his thoughts. And the way Marta awakens to the world brings a blast of hopefulness to a serious narrative, especially when she describes her life as a beautiful accident.

themes, language

8.Mar.26

Performances are unnervingly raw, so we flinch at every punch. Kircher has terrific charisma as wiry kid who doesn't understand why he's so good at boxing. He and Anaflous create remarkable chemistry that beautifully depicts Cam and Matt's loyalty, and also the pain when they fall out. Other boys are mainly braying followers in service to Jacobs' fiery lead bully, but they retain an admiration for their leader Cam, even as he loses his power.

The title metaphor is on the nose, referring to pesky critters in the woods around the school. Indeed, the script doesn't bother with nuances. It launches ideas then throws characters into situations that push them in tough directions, honing in on how they're neither children nor grown-ups. Of course, coaches and teachers are distracted by their jobs, and parents are rather oblivious, so these boys are left to work this out on their own. And in a culture featuring this kind of toxic masculinity, we worry whether the ending is as hopeful as it seems to be.

themes, language, violence

3.Mar.26