What The Fest!? 2018: Blue My Mind Review – Spring Meets Thelma in This Coming-of-Age Story
Jonathan Barkan
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Starring Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen
Written by Lisa Brühlmann
Directed by Lisa Brühlmann
When it comes to themes upon which a film’s story can be built, a transformation is one of the oldest and most reliable ones a filmmaker can pick. Films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Wolfman, The Fly, and the like all tackle the horrors of a body growing out of control. However, that it’s a mechanism that has been used for decades does not diminish the relatability of the story. The very nature of people is that we change, both physically and mentally, throughout the course of our lives. Because each of us changes in our own ways, in our own circumstances, there will always be an audience for a story that speaks more directly to them than to others. This is where Blue My Mind comes in.
The story of 15-year-old Mia (Wedler), who recently moved with her family, the film follows her metamorphosis not just from a girl into a young woman but also from a human into a mermaid-like creature. This comes at a time when Mia simply wants to hang out with her new friend Gianna (Holthuizen), who is the perfect example of that friend that your parents don’t want you to hang out with. A fan of shoplifting, drugs, and sex, Gianna isn’t so much an influence on Luna as she is an enabler, bringing her into a world where those temptations can be enjoyed and, yes, taken too far.
Very much an art-house style film, Blue My Mind falls under the “horror-adjacent” category. With elements of Lovecraft-ian body horror, the film moves slowly and calmly. For a debut feature film, writer/director Lisa Brühlmann certainly knows how to create an arresting film, drawing wonderful performances from her cast. Meanwhile, cinematographer Gabriel Lobos chooses to bring us intimately close to Luna, the camera straying rarely from her face or body.
Never scary, Blue My Mind opts instead to fascinate the viewer. The subtle changes that Mia undergoes become more and more pronounced, with each evolution more gruesome than the last. This evolution also is not something that is hidden from the audience. Enough hints and given from the very beginning of the film to understand where the story is going. As such, there is no surprise ending or twist. There is simply Mia’s story as she tries to figure out who, and what, she is.
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Blue My Mind
Summary
A unique blend of Joachim Trier’s Thelma and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s Spring, Blue My Mind is a coming-of-age tale that intimately enters the terrifying world of a young woman’s maturation.
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