Review of "Dear Lemon Lima"
Published 3/3/11
Written and Directed By: Suzi Yoonessi
Starring: Meaghan Jette Martin, Vanessa Marano, Elaine Hendrix, Beth Grant, Melissa Leo
Essentially a women’s “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Dear Lemon Lima” is a lovely mix of deadpan quirk and pastel-shaded whimsy; a meandering take on the awkwardness of adolescence, the perils of unrequited love, and how we learn to understand and accept tragedy. Though it focuses on somewhat blunt messages about self-awareness and compassion, the recipe works because the characters are actually experiencing how trite sayings about accepting yourself and others get translated into real life.
In the film, Vanessa Lemur (Savanah Wiltfong), a part Yu’pik (Western Eskimo) girl living in Fairbanks with her single mother (Eleanor Hutchins) enrolls in the same private high school as her ex-boyfriend Philip (Shayne Topp) in an attempt to win him back. The recipient of a scholarship for Eskimo students in an environment whose obsession with native Alaskan culture borders on the insensitive, she finds herself at the bottom of the social caste system with no hope of redemption. The decision about whether to embrace her position as a nerd and the friends that come along with it weighs heavily on her as she navigates these new social straights, all while learning a bit about her heritage from the most unlikely source - a school sports competition called the ‘Snowstorm Survivor Competition.”
The cast, led by Alaskan native Savanah Wiltfong in her first onscreen role, all give pitch-perfect performances that highlight the awkward disconnectedness their characters face and the ways in which they look to connect. The acting can be timid at times, but it always feels appropriate to the pace and style of the film. Melissa Leo is especially good as an overprotective almost Pilgrim-styled mother with an equally dour husband (Rick Turner) and precocious son (Zane Huett). The group of misfits that Vanessa finds herself immersed in features both acting veterans and newcomers, but they balance each other out nicely and the group dynamic is alternatingly touching and hilarious.
The film was not actually shot in Alaska, but the dramatic scenery is nonetheless breathtaking and well used. The art directing is extremely stylized, a modern day tale told in retro pastels and slow, quiet shots that recall Napoleon Dynamite and The Royal Tenenbaums with a soundtrack that is noticeably similar to Amelie’s.
Despite the 13-year-old main characters and preponderance of butterfly, cupcake, and ice-cream imagery, “Dear Lemon Lima” will be more enjoyable for older teens and nostalgic adults than children. This is in part because it moves an such a quiet pace and in part because the comedy is often subtle. Anyone will, however, be able to identify with the main characters and the lessons they learn.
Starring: Meaghan Jette Martin, Vanessa Marano, Elaine Hendrix, Beth Grant, Melissa Leo
Essentially a women’s “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Dear Lemon Lima” is a lovely mix of deadpan quirk and pastel-shaded whimsy; a meandering take on the awkwardness of adolescence, the perils of unrequited love, and how we learn to understand and accept tragedy. Though it focuses on somewhat blunt messages about self-awareness and compassion, the recipe works because the characters are actually experiencing how trite sayings about accepting yourself and others get translated into real life.
In the film, Vanessa Lemur (Savanah Wiltfong), a part Yu’pik (Western Eskimo) girl living in Fairbanks with her single mother (Eleanor Hutchins) enrolls in the same private high school as her ex-boyfriend Philip (Shayne Topp) in an attempt to win him back. The recipient of a scholarship for Eskimo students in an environment whose obsession with native Alaskan culture borders on the insensitive, she finds herself at the bottom of the social caste system with no hope of redemption. The decision about whether to embrace her position as a nerd and the friends that come along with it weighs heavily on her as she navigates these new social straights, all while learning a bit about her heritage from the most unlikely source - a school sports competition called the ‘Snowstorm Survivor Competition.”
The cast, led by Alaskan native Savanah Wiltfong in her first onscreen role, all give pitch-perfect performances that highlight the awkward disconnectedness their characters face and the ways in which they look to connect. The acting can be timid at times, but it always feels appropriate to the pace and style of the film. Melissa Leo is especially good as an overprotective almost Pilgrim-styled mother with an equally dour husband (Rick Turner) and precocious son (Zane Huett). The group of misfits that Vanessa finds herself immersed in features both acting veterans and newcomers, but they balance each other out nicely and the group dynamic is alternatingly touching and hilarious.
The film was not actually shot in Alaska, but the dramatic scenery is nonetheless breathtaking and well used. The art directing is extremely stylized, a modern day tale told in retro pastels and slow, quiet shots that recall Napoleon Dynamite and The Royal Tenenbaums with a soundtrack that is noticeably similar to Amelie’s.
Despite the 13-year-old main characters and preponderance of butterfly, cupcake, and ice-cream imagery, “Dear Lemon Lima” will be more enjoyable for older teens and nostalgic adults than children. This is in part because it moves an such a quiet pace and in part because the comedy is often subtle. Anyone will, however, be able to identify with the main characters and the lessons they learn.
