Film Review – God Help The Girl (2014)

I didn’t know anything about the film going into it. Generally, I just go into most films with some kind of an idea of what it is about. But I knew Emily Browning was in it, so it couldn’t be all that bad, I mean afterall, I could just look at her gorgeous lips if all else failed.

The film surprised me a little bit, it was essentially a musical, with the cast (I believe) singing every song themselves. Honestly, Emily and Olly had decent voices, Hannah was ropey at time, and for the most part was quite nasally.

But onto the film itself. The film is about Eve (Emily Browning) a troubled girl who ‘escapes’ from her institution where she is because of various mental health problems. The main of which seems to be anorexia/bulimia of some kind. Emily lost a lot of weight for the role, and it made her face seem that bit more pretty for some reason. It’s the cheekbones, but anyway, she ends up meeting James (Olly Alexander). A guy who seems to be comfortable where he is. They seem to bring out the best in each other, swapping traits for the most part. They are soon joined by Cassie, and the three of them start to make a band. They are numerous ups and downs for them, mainly stemming from Eve’s own insecurities where she ends up back in the ward, eventually coming to the realisation that she has to leave, be with other like minded people, have a routine, basically get better.

The key relationship in the film is between Eve and James. It starts out as an unrequited love type storyline, which moves into the friend zone, and then into the “its too late” place. They have good chemistry with each other for the most part.

The thing about the film is that it meanders from one storyline to the next, being little more than an extended episode of a soap opera. None of the storylines are linked that much in anyway, and whilst the musical numbers are decent enough, they are quickly forgotten. The film is little more than some catchy songs, with pretentious “Dawsons Creek” style monologuing between the characters.

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[rating=2]
Ricky Diaz

Genre:
Musical Drama
Distributor:
Amplify/Metrodome
Release Date:
22nd August 2014
Rating:15
Running Time:
111 Minutes
Director:
Stuart Murdoch
Cast:
Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray