BIFF Series to screen intimate character study

A coming of age portrait of a young woman who is excited about a blossoming relationship is the latest ­offering in the Bermuda ­International Film Festival series.

The Exploding Girl stars Zoe Kazan, (granddaughter of influential American director Elia) in her first leading role for which she was named Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival.

It screens this Thursday at the BUEI at 6:30pm. In the film, Kazan plays

20-year-old Ivy a college student who is home for summer break and is over the moon about her new romance back at school.

Her long-time friend Al has nowhere to stay during the break and so ends up staying with Ivy and her mother. As Al and Ivy’s friendship strengthens, cracks begin to appear in the relationship between her boyfriend Greg.

Sporadic phone calls and awkward silences point to emotional, as well as physical, distance. Ivy struggles with conflicting feelings she attempts to keep control of a life that is purposely uneventful as she avoids overwhelming the emotions that trigger her epilepsy.

Intimate

 “While the threat of a seizure hovers over the movie, as does the spectre of an outburst of pent-up, half-understood feeling, the film is driven less by plot than by a desire to intimately explore the quiet moods and daily interactions of its characters,” said Aideen Ratteray Pryse, director of BIFF.

“It follows some intriguing tangents too as Ivy and Al inch toward acknowledging their simmering mutual feelings.

“Indeed, The Exploding Girl is focused squarely on Ivy, portrayed with quietly impressive skill by Kazan who nails the blinking awkwardness of a young woman who hasn't yet learned to control her own beauty — and earns Best Actress kudos at the Tribeca Film Festival in the process. With an economy of cinematic technique, director Bradley Rust Gray tells a story about a very human topic — young love — that is poignant and deadly accurate. Restrained and meditative, The Exploding Girl is the exquisite portrait of a young girl coming of age and finding a deeper kind of love in New York City.”

Film series coordinator, Andrew Stoneham added: “This is an engaging and personal film that draws in the viewer.

“The standout performance of Zoe Kazan is incredible and makes her someone to watch for in the future.”

The film screens at the BUEI Tradewinds Auditorium on Thursday, 22 July at 6.30pm. Tickets are available at the door from 5.30pm. Film club members $8; regular tickets $10. Film running time is 75 minutes. For reservations and all inquiries email [email protected] or call 293 3456.