Electrick Children is a pretty great coming-of-age movie starring Rury Culkin and Julia Garner and is the feature-movie debut of writer / director Rebecca Thomas – it’s enjoyable if you are happy to not over-think it too much.
Julia Carner plays the ethereal protagonist Rachel who sneaks down into her brother’s room in their strict Mormon Utah dust-bowl homestead to discover a cassette tape of Hangin On The Telephone (originally by The Nerves – which I initially thought was who was playing it on the movie’s cassette, but perhaps not). Turns out that the music has a profound effect on her – she discovers she’s pregnant and attributes it to an immaculate conception – although her decidedly creepy step-father (Billy Zane) is quick to pin fault on her slightly older brother – kicking him out and ready to arrange a hasty marriage.
But Rachel and bother Mr Will instead hit the road, finding themselves wide eyed and eager to experience the spoils of youth growing up fast in Las Vegas – meeting a group of teens, including Culkin who take the pair under their wings.
It is, admittedly, perhaps a bit too fantastical for some – but I personally enjoyed the escapism and the ambiguities left unclear and look forward to seeing more work from the telnets Rebecca Thomas.
-review by Andrew Tidball
In cinemas now.
