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| Zoe Kazan deep in thought in "The Exploding Girl." |
Ivy doesn't say much, but spend some time with the main
character in “The Exploding Girl” and you quickly realize that what she lacks
in loquaciousness, she more than makes up for in quiet, thoughtful contemplation.
As portrayed by the expressive, excellent Zoe Kazan, Ivy is a girl with a lot
going on beyond those bright blue eyes of hers.
The title of the movie—a lovely, ruminative character
study with a hint of romantic longing written, directed and edited by Bradley
Rust Gray—refers to all of Ivy's superfluous inner anguish which seems to put
the complicated young adult in danger of bursting at the seams at any moment.
The movie covers the week of her college spring break in
New York, where Ivy struggles to have a social life in between increasingly heartbreaking
cell phone calls with a physically and emotionally distant boyfriend who drifts
from and finally breaks up with her. If that weren’t enough, she also must take
medication to control epilepsy, which leaves her feeling tired.
Meanwhile, fellow college student Al (Mark Rendall),
Ivy’s childhood friend, returns to her life and they begin spending more time
together. Al is one of those ordinary-looking guys, bookish and smart but skinny,
halting and awkward, who wouldn’t seem to stand a chance with a pretty girl
like Ivy. But as the movie unfolds, we notice hints that his feelings have
grown deeper over time; he’s desperate to get past the “just friends” stage and
inch closer to a relationship. If only she would notice.
Whether they get together is a surprise better left
unrevealed. Worth noting is that true to spirit of this gentle and airy film,
when something does eventually happen, Gray handles it with a sense of
exquisite subtly that is rare, genuine and refreshing. This is one of those
movies where day dreaming and quiet moments in a conversation—and the
characters’ facial expressions—are as important and illuminating as what’s ever
said.
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