Title: Coast
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Jessica Hester, Derek Schweickart
Starring: Fatima Ptacek, Melissa Leo, Mia Rose Frampton
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

What It Is: Abby (Ptacek) is a young woman at a volatile time in her life. She’s OBSESSED with music and so when a new friend begins to stay in her small agriculture-heavy town she becomes obsessed with Kristi (Frampton) and this want of attention begins to lead Abby in different directions. One of those directions is her falling for the lead singer of a traveling band. On top of that, her parents are separating and her dad has moved out. Will these decisions and situations lead to dire consequences for young Abby?

What We Think: The youthfulness of this film was refreshing. It felt like we were experiencing what it is to be a young person right now. That’s both a positive and a negative. It works to have the narrative shaped as it is. Kristi is unlikable but that sort of works for what she is to the film. Hester and Schweickart are doing some okay work behind the camera. I have to say that there’s a great sense of fun to the movie underneath a film that is dealing with some heavy themes.

Our Grade: C+, A bit of a surprise indeed. Indeed, this is an entertaining film that offers audiences an unexplored section of people. Some of the music here actually sets a cool tone for the film and overall it feels like a Gen Z film that understands the assignment. Fatima Ptacek steps out of the shadow of Dora the Explorer and steps into her own self. Showing she’s becoming a legitimate adult actress. Here she’s doing a decent job of getting us to believe in both her and her character. Check this one out for a unique and interestingly told series of teen film tropes wrapped in a perspective that explored these familiar settings in a different way.