Almost Adults

Last updated
Almost Adults
Directed bySarah Rotella
Written byAdrianna DiLonardo
Produced byRebecca Swift
Starring Natasha Negovanlis
Elise Bauman
Justin Gerhard
Winny Clarke
CinematographyRyan Glover
Edited byHaya Waseem
Production
company
Unsolicited Pictures
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release dates
  • May 28, 2016 (2016-05-28)(Toronto LGBT Film Festival)
  • February 7, 2017 (2017-02-07)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Almost Adults is a 2016 Canadian comedy film directed by Sarah Rotella starring Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis. The film is a platonic love story about two lifelong best friends struggling to keep their friendship together as their lives head in different directions. It was written by Adrianna DiLonardo. [1]

Contents

Premise

The film follows two best friends in their final year of college while they transition into adulthood. One embraces her sexuality and tries to catch up on everything she has missed during her teenage years, while the other ends a long-term relationship with her boyfriend and discovers her life isn't going as planned. Both struggle to keep their friendship together as they begin growing apart. [2]

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Toronto, Ontario in 2015, over the course of 11 days. [3] [4]

Release

Almost Adults was fully funded through Kickstarter in 2015, reaching 305% of its goal in 30 days. [5] The film won IndieWire's Project Of The Year in 2015, and was a part of the Tribeca Film Institute Network. [6] [7] Almost Adults premiered at the Inside Out Film Festival where it won honourable mention in the Best Feature Film category and went on to screen at 12 more festivals worldwide. [8] Almost Adults had its U.S. premiere at Outfest.[ citation needed ] The film was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and released on video on demand in 2017.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Buzzfeed included Almost Adults in their list "25 Films That Have Made A Difference To The LGBT Community". [9] Autostraddle praised the film for flipping the script on classic lesbian movie tropes, commenting that the story wasn't about either of the characters having feelings for the other, or Mack coming out and Cassie not accepting her, but rather that they were both "young and selfish and trying to figure out who they were and how they fit into each other's lives." [10] Curve said the "film takes a light hearted and comedic approach at portraying the struggles all young adults face." [11]

The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review, stating that "... above all else, it excels at remaining inoffensive, which isn't always the best approach for an adult comedy dealing with high-stakes personal issues." The review went on to praise Negovanlis and Bauman's chemistry, but stated "the comedic quotient drops noticeably in scenes with mostly underwhelming supporting cast members." The review criticized how predictable the film was, but gave praise to Rotella for "[having] an eye for visual humor and comedic timing." [12]

DorkShelf.com Casey Reid wrote a positive review in regards to the movie both by praising the movie itself and the director, "Almost Adults is a cohesive debut film that shows our digital age's love and relationships in a fresh way, signalling a promising career for Sarah Rotella." She continues, "what makes Almost Adults refreshing is that it's reflexive of contemporary queer culture, albeit white centric, in a way that signals a shift in queer cinema. While it does not quite touch on ideas of nostalgia so entrenched in queer cinema, it seems to directly reflect how young people connect and disconnect with themselves and each other." However she does mention how the films "lacks depth in certain areas." [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>No Skin Off My Ass</i> 1991 Canadian film

No Skin Off My Ass is a 1991 comedy-drama film by Bruce LaBruce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Dunye</span> Liberian-American actress and director

Cheryl Dunye is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known as the first out black lesbian to ever direct a feature film with her 1996 film The Watermelon Woman. She runs the production company Jingletown Films based in Oakland, California.

Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, and the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, in launching the North American Queer Festival Alliance, an initiative to further publicize and promote LGBT film.

<i>Loving Annabelle</i> 2006 film by Katherine Brooks

Loving Annabelle is a 2006 American romantic drama film written and directed by Katherine Brooks. Inspired by the 1931 German film Mädchen in Uniform, it tells the story of a boarding school student who falls in love with her teacher.

Wolfe Video is the oldest and largest exclusive producer and distributor of LGBT films in North America.

<i>Bloomington</i> (film) 2010 American film

Bloomington is a 2010 coming-of-age drama film about a former child actress attending college in search of independence and who ends up becoming romantically involved with a professor, played by Allison McAtee. Their relationship thrives until an opportunity to return to acting forces them to make life-altering decisions.

<i>Mosquita y Mari</i> 2012 American film

Mosquita y Mari is a 2012 coming-of-age film written and directed by Aurora Guerrero and starring Fenessa Pineda and Venecia Troncoso. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Girl/Girl Scene is an American comedy-drama streaming television series. It was created and written by Tucky Williams, who also stars as Evan, a sexually promiscuous, androgynous, lesbian. The first episode premiered on Blip, on September 6, 2010, and the last episode premiered on January 5, 2015. The story features several LGBT women struggling with romantic relationships. The series now airs on Amazon Video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Negovanlis</span> Canadian actress and writer

Natasha Negovanlis is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and singer. She achieved international recognition for portraying Carmilla Karnstein in the YouTube web series Carmilla (2014–2016) and in the 2017 feature film based on the series.

<i>Carmilla</i> (web series) Canadian web series

Carmilla is a Canadian single-frame web series co-created by Jordan Hall, Steph Ouaknine, and Jay Bennett. The series stars Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, and is loosely based on the novella of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu. The series premiered on the Vervegirl YouTube channel on August 19, 2014. U by Kotex is the executive producer of the web series. The series takes place at the fictional Silas University in Styria, Austria, and is told through vlogs recorded by Laura, a first-year student. When Laura begins investigating the disappearance of her roommate, she is assigned a new roommate named Carmilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elise Bauman</span> Canadian actress, director, filmmaker and singer

Elise Bauman is a Canadian actress, director, filmmaker and singer. She portrayed the role of Laura Hollis, the lead character of the web series Carmilla (2014–2016).

<i>Naz & Maalik</i> 2015 American film

Naz & Maalik is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Jay Dockendorf and starring Curtiss Cook Jr. and Kerwin Johnson Jr. It follows two closeted Muslim teenagers over the course of a summer afternoon, as their secretive behavior and small-time scheming accidentally lead them into the crosshairs of FBI surveillance.

<i>Bumblefuck, USA</i> 2011 American film

Bumblefuck, USA is a 2011 film containing both dramatic and documentary elements about lesbian and gay life experienced by a Dutch woman arriving in the United States heartland. The movie was featured on Autostraddle as one of "8 Pretty Great Lesbian Movies You Haven’t Seen Yet".

<i>The Carmilla Movie</i> 2017 Canadian film

The Carmilla Movie is a 2017 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Spencer Maybee, based on the web series of the same name (2014–2016). Both the film and the web series were adapted from the 1872 gothic novella Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. The film received a limited release in Canada on October 26, 2017.

<i>S&M Sally</i> 2015 American film

S&M Sally is a 2015 American comedy-romance film directed by Michelle Ehlen. It stars Jen McPherson, Michelle Ehlen and Shaela Cook. This is the third installment of the "Butch Jamie" series and follows the relationship of the characters Jamie & Jill.

<i>Suicide Kale</i> 2016 film by Carly Usdin

Suicide Kale is a 2016 American dark comedy film, directed by Carly Usdin and written by Brittani Nichols. The film centers on Jasmine and Penn, a lesbian couple who unexpectedly find a hidden suicide note in the home of their friends Billie and Jordan. The film premiered at the Queer Hippo International LGBT Film Festival in Houston, Texas on April 3, 2016. Usdin won the Audience Award for Best First U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest.

<i>Queer Japan</i> 2019 documentary film

Queer Japan is a 2019 documentary film directed, edited, and co-written by Graham Kolbeins. The documentary profiles a range of individuals in Japan who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). Queer Japan is produced by Hiromi Iida with Anne Ishii, written by Ishii and Kolbeins, and features an original score composed by Geotic.

<i>Under the Christmas Tree</i> 2021 romantic comedy television film

Under the Christmas Tree is a 2021 romantic comedy Christmas television film directed by Lisa Rose Snow in her feature film directorial debut. The film premiered on Lifetime on December 19, 2021, as part of the network's "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" holiday movie slate. Telling the story of government worker Charlie attempting to secure a Christmas tree from business owner Alma, the film was Lifetime's first lesbian Christmas movie. It received generally positive reviews and was nominated at the 33rd GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding TV Movie.

<i>Tahara</i> (film) 2020 American film

Tahara is a 2020 American drama film directed by Olivia Peace and written by Jess Zeidman. It premiered at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival and was released to wide audiences on June 10, 2022. Tahara received awards from Outfest, Newfest, and the Denver International Film Festival.

References

  1. ↑ "Growing Up Without Growing Apart is Hard for 'Almost Adults'". Indiewire . March 19, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Almost Adults Movie - See the official trailer now!". Almost Adults Movie. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  3. ↑ "Toronto-based Almost Adults filmmakers say no thanks to the theatrical distribution deal". NOW Magazine. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Austin Film Festival Review: Almost Adults" . Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  5. ↑ "Almost Adults Feature". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  6. ↑ Indiewire; Indiewire (2016-01-20). "Congratulations to 'Almost Adults,' Indiewire's Project of the Year!". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  7. ↑ "Almost Adults". Tribeca Film Institute. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  8. ↑ "Inside Out 2016 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Rotella — "Almost Adults"". womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  9. ↑ "25 Films That Have Made A Difference To The LGBT Community". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  10. ↑ ""Almost Adults" Is a Cute Lesbian Movie to Add to the Very Short List of Actually Good Lesbian Movies". Autostraddle. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  11. ↑ Davis, Annalese. "Almost Adults" . Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  12. ↑ "'Almost Adults': Outfest Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  13. ↑ "Inside Out 2016: Almost Adults Review". 25 May 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.