A Free and Easy ‘Coast’ Explores Teen Angst, Indie Rock Bands and Small Towns (Movie Review)
Coast
Rating: 8/10
Directors: Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart
Writer: Cindy Kitagawa
Style: Family drama
Time: 102 minutes
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMvyn-rRmxA&list=PLmjCQE6eNlYGDPoLt8OwxAzo8Sevi8tFa&index=16
Review by Mike Szymanski
Abby is restless, lonely, rudderless. She’s a typical teen stuck in a small town, who loves music, but doesn’t know what to do with her ambitions. She fights with her mother, and in that way again she is like many teen girls, but she is definitely special. She simply hasn’t figured out why.
The reason why this story seems so fresh and real is because it’s inspired by the screenwriter’s own story. Cindy Kitagawa writes about herself living in a coastal town in the middle of California. This coming-of-age story is heartfelt, raw and heartwarming.
From the outset, it’s noticeably beautifully shot, with a picturesque sunrise over the desert with some mountains in the background. The place, the small town, is as much a character as any actor in this movie.
Abby’s main act of rebellion is to get a nose piercing. She is told she may never get a job with that, or that she looks like a lesbian.
The strength of the realism of the movie is because of the stellar and mostly-unknown cast. Abby is played by Fatima Ptacek who has a rather lenient single mother portrayed by Cristela Alonzo. Abby’s mom is having her own midlife crisis, and she is taking care of a wise-cracking ailing patient played by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo.
Fatima is noteworthy not only as a shining young actress with some real chops to make it as a star, but she is also the longtime voice of the cartoon Dora the Explorer.
Abby is attracted to the lead singer of a rock band, who is played by Kane Ritchotte, who in reality is from the band More* and Portugal the Man, and is now on tour with Haim. He wants Abby to run away with him and go on tour.
The band, Abby summarizes, is “like Ziggy Stardust falling down a flight of stairs.” It’s a good band, and this movie gives the opportunity to highlight some small independent bands and songs that populate small towns like this one along the coast of California.
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The music and score is from the band Grouplove, and the fictional band called Piñata Jones is actually made up of band members from The Ceremonies.
The filmmakers, both women, fell in love with the script immediately, and both identified very strongly with the story.
“When we first read ‘Coast,’ we were moved, as we both could see ourselves in the main character’s journey, as well as in the music,” the directors said. “Abby represents so many of us, and our best friend, our parents, on their quest to be loved.”
The story is set in a coastal down in the middle of California called Santa Maria, and some of the girls like Abby desperately want to get away as soon as possible.
Others don’t understand why Abby is so angry and constantly trashes the town. Abby begins to realize she is outgrowing her old friends. Santa Maria not only has history with immigration stories (a history teacher tells the stories about Cesar Chaves) but there’s also the history of the Japanese-American internment camps.
Although she is making some major decisions for her life, Abby doesn’t seem to have much self-doubt once making those decisions. She is persistently told she is amazing, and toward the end of the film she confirms, “Yes, I am.”
“Coast” is streaming right now on Apple, Amazon and Vudu. The film is also available on Google, Xbox, and Hoopla.
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