Mouth to Mouth review

Introduction

Sherry (played by Ellen Page) is disillusioned with life and is looking for a way out of her mundane and unhappy existence. A mess of teenage contradictions, she encounters a radical group of like-minded souls, SPARK (Street People Armed With Radical Knowledge) and joins them in their trek across Europe. Thinking that she has finally found a family that genuinely care and understand her, she settles down with them in a remote Portuguese vineyard, but things soon turn sour when she realises that she has joined a cult with a seriously warped leader.

The cynic within would suggest that this has been found and released in order to cash in on the recent success of Ellen Page (performances in Hardy Candy and Juno, as well as wider exposure in X Men 3), as it was made around the same time as Hard Candy but has only just made its way out on to DVD...

Video

An average 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer on offer here. It has that "gritty realism/16mm/low budget" quality to it. This isn't necessarily a criticism, since it lends a certain something to the film. Just don't expect the crisp transfer of the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

Audio

Again, an average DD2.0 soundtrack, which never has very much to do. This is a dialogue heavy film, and you can always hear the dialogue, so nothing to really complain about.

Extra Features

A theatrical trailer and a behind the scenes feature that runs for about 5 minutes and is not all that interesting.

Conclusion

The cynic within thinks he got this one about right. This isn't very interesting, and it's not very good. SPARK have a sort of hippy commune lifestyle at a vineyard, and it turns out not to be the idyll that some of the characters were looking for. There are some good ingredients and ideas here, but the film just comes out as a jumbled mess that drifts in and out of scenes. Characters aren't developed and instead break out into odd bits of dance for no good reason. There's some moralising weaved in along the way, and ultimately it's not a very satisfying viewing experience.

It's kind of like Lilya 4-Ever, but without all of the weirdness that film entails. There are hints at Page's acting talent here, but watch one of her other films instead.