According to Greta
2009 · Directed by Nancy Bardawil
Original language: English
- drama
- romance
The story
Dumped on her grandparents for the summer by her indifferent mother, acerbic and self-destructive teenager Greta disrupts the elderly couple's staid life on the Jersey Shore. Eventually, a romance helps Greta face down her demons.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached summer light and the salty, unhurried air of a Jersey Shore town give this film a warm, slightly faded look, with a seaside house and its sleepy domestic routines doing most of the visual work. The mood moves from prickly and sardonic toward softly tender, with easygoing summer pop and light, understated score rather than anything driving. The pacing is conversational and gentle, built on the friction between a sharp, self-destructive teenager and a quiet older couple whose orderly days she disrupts, and its arc follows her slowly loosening up as a summer romance draws her toward hope. Intensity is moderate: suicidal thoughts and a suicide attempt are part of the story, handled with restraint rather than graphic detail, and there is no real violence or gore. Its emotional weight rests on family and romance. It suits a lazy summer afternoon or a comfort watch, for viewers who want a bittersweet, character-driven drama about grief, generational bonds, and healing, without heavy shock.
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