From French filmmakers Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar, Silver Star tells the story of two troubled young women, whose unlikely partnership and post-bank-robbery roadtrip evokes the spirit of Thelma & Louise, reimagined through a coming-of-age lens.
Despite the often distracting, shaky camerawork, the film finds its footing in the compelling performances of Grace Van Dien as Franny and Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson as Billie, as a charming pair of polar opposites. Their dynamic, laced with queer yearning, injects much-needed energy into an otherwise uneven narrative. In particular, Van Dien steals the show by somehow managing to make a loud, demanding, and a kind of annoying girl one of the biggest sweethearts I have ever seen on the silver screen.
However, both characters and plot feel underdeveloped, as they brisk over topics like the American health, welfare, and justice systems. While the audience does see some attempts at rehabilitation at the beginning with a non-cooperative and violent Billie, it does feel like the film loses direction and doesn’t provide us with an overarching message or certain satisfying character arc. This leaves me to wonder whether Silver Star might have been better suited to a more evolved feature rather than its shorter 102-minute runtime.
In spite of all this, Silver Star provides a narrative of two teenage girls, who are both simultaneously very complicated yet easy to relate to. It is funny, entertaining, and a brilliant film for the girls.
Image provided by GFF for press use.