Indie Log: Electrick Children

Julia Garner as Rachel — expect to see more of her

Electrick Children begins with 15-year-old Rachel taking her oath to the Mormon faith and family she is happily part of.  Though all in the large family headed by a single, dominant patriarch seem content, peering into this cloistered community evokes the feeling that we are looking at a cult at the breaking point.  I loved this part of the film, set among the red bluffs of southern Utah, a place I adore.

From there, the film becomes a sort of contra-point to Ida — though it is not as successful as the Polish film.  While being swept away on the journey, it made me feel heartbreak for the loss of my youth.  The Sunscreen song:

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth
Until they’ve faded but trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back
At photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now
How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked

In any case, I was captivated by the early part of Electrick Children, but its spell wore off a bit as it progressed.  Also, there is a point where the Theory of the Rope was overstepped.  But Julia Garner’s Rachel is an immensely likable character who swallows you into this compelling little indie; a high 7/10.

Comparison Notes: Martha Marcy May Marlene, Ida, River’s Edge, My Own Private Idaho, Where the Day Takes You, Paranoid Park, Sound of My Voice