God Help the Girl (2014)
Belle & Sebastien's Stuart Murdoch tries his hand at filmmaking.
Director: Stuart Murdoch
Starring: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander & Hannah Murray
Running Time: 111 mins
Release date: 10 Oct, 2014 (Canada) - Available on VOD
Worldwide Gross: N/A
Basic Plot:
Eve (Emily Browning) has music in her heart, in her soul, in everything. She is desperate to let out her musical talents for all to hear but she is stuck in hospital. Why’s she is there is never determined but it is suggested that she suffers from an eating disorder and therefore, mental problems. As she gets better she leaves the hospital and meets James (Olly Alexander) who shares her love for music and they quickly form a friendship and a musical bond. Their summer in Glasgow is also enjoyed by Cassie (Hannah Murray) as they wander around the city talking music and eventually forming a band. The songs that Eve writes tell us about her woes and struggles with her mental illness and James and Cassie are her crutches, however her friendship with James develops into a closer relationship, or at least he feels so.
Clock Watching? – 13/20
I really enjoyed the beginning of this movie and embraced the use of song and dance to tell the story. It has a fresh and bright beginning, filled with joyous, yet melancholy music, but this seems to slowly disappear as the film continues. What started out as a refreshing take on the musical became labourious and tiresome. The songs are all very similar and become somewhat frustrating. The use of song to help tell the story is not a new idea but God Help the Girl did seem to have a different take on the musical, but what enveloped was a series of "music videos" loosely joined together by a weak story. The film never really moves past the first enjoyable minutes and plateaus on an artsy, hipster musical.
Oscar Performances? – 14/20
Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, 2009) is very good in her role as the recovering anorexic, Eve and certainly brings light to an otherwise bland movie. She is perfectly cast as the lonely, confused “muso” looking for direction in life and to cure herself from her disease. There will be many casting directors taking down her name after this. Olly Alexander (The Riot Club, 2014) plays the preppy James with some conviction but often felt wooden and uneasy in front of the camera. Hannah Murray (Dark Shadows, 2012) was good as the cutesy Cassie and should go on to good things.
Camera, Lights, Direction? – 10/20
This is Stuart Murdoch’s first attempt at feature film directing and it shows. His work in music is undeniably genius, and ‘Belle and Sebastian’ are renowned in the music world, and their music has been used in many films prior to this. However, he made need some more practice behind the camera in order to become a serious filmmaker. He obviously took much from the work of Jean-Luc Godard, as many of the scenes looked very similar to those from Une femme est une femme (1961) & Bande à part (1964), even including a impromtu dance and hair and make-up reminiscent of Anna Karina. Like I said, there seemed to be something original with his approach to the film but it clearly lacked in direction. So often the story can be forgotten in film and replaced with special effects and huge explosions, but with God Help the Girl it was superseded by the music and ultimately this is where the downfall of the film is.
Tell a Friend? – 11/20
Those in my circle that adore ‘Belle and Sebastian’ will be first on my list to recommend this film to, and they might be the last. It’s a shame that this is the case as I feel that it would have been loved by indie film lovers and found a cult following. But it just falters in it’s inability to progress as a film and to tell us an interesting and worthwhile story.
Again - 9/20
I don’t know if this film needs to be seen again in order to understand it any further? It felt like a vehicle for Murdoch to show his work with the band he put together with the same name, and I think it will stay as that even with further viewings.
Total – 57%
Fans of Belle and Sebastian’s music will love this, but there is where the love will end.
by Russell Farnham
