The Exploding Girl
Director: Bradley Rust Gray
Year Released: 2009
Rating: 1.0
...But it's really more like 'imploding.' Annoyingly sad Zoe Kazan mopes her way through New York with guy pal Mark Rendall in tow and her boyfriend at a distance, but the boyfriend at a distance is being cold to her and it's only a matter of time before he dumps her (whether she seems to suspect this isn't clear). Gray mistakes the tedious drawing out of scenes where little-to-nothing happens (and focuses on the very rare pretty shot) as poetry - Kazan's character's sole distinguishing characteristic is that she's an epileptic, which at least partially explains her melancholy (Rendall's defining characteristic is an interest in pigeons). I didn't pick up a lot of 'deep self-reflection' on behalf of the heroine or find it to be a 'crucial meditation on teen romance' - those seeking insight into young love should wander in a daze elsewhere.
