Hey. Hey. Oh Hey...
Every phone conversation starts like this. The only difference, sometimes Ivy doesn't say hey a second time.
Not much happens in this film. Ivy and Al arrive at her mother's New York City house for summer college break. Ivy is involved with a faceless person that we get to know through their phone calls (mostly voice mail). Al ends up staying at Ivy's house; his parents have converted his room into a Tantric Sex room. The passage of time isn't obvious, it looks like only a few nights, but in reality the film spans most of the summer.
Exploding Girl is a slow moving, delicate, independent film. Shot with a Red Digital camera, every shot is rock solid, with minimal panning. Each scene is very carefully constructed and deliberate, the director uses framing effectively. Unfortunately, not every single shot is in focus. Even with this sometimes major fault, I loved this film. The director uses very slow pacing, shots run on for a good long time. The editing matches the feel of the film, take time to get to know the character and what they just did. Frequently foreground objects obstruct the frame. In the subway, it turns out none of this was planned; they bootlegged filming in the subway as described in the bonus making of featurette.
This is a sensual film. The chemistry between Ivy and Al develops slowly. Ivy is shy, Al is a bit more outgoing, but not by much. There is no nudity. There is one scene where Al and another girl smoke marijuana. I don't recall any strong language. The scene where Ivy has a seizure is done from a distance, but it is very clear what is happening.
I loved the character development. It felt like real life, getting to know Ivy and Al, and peripherally her mother and the disembodied boy friend, slowly. At about an hour and twenty minutes, the film seems like it is the right length.
This isn't a film for everyone. My enjoyment of this film is the careful framing, slow editing, muted colors, and slow character development. I liked these two characters.
