Turn Me On Goddamn It (2011) (Tribeca FIlm Festival)

Here’s another case of wanting to talk about a film but being restricted by the need to wait for the world premiere. Normally I wouldn’t mind except that here is a little film that is probably doomed not to get real release in the US and which is one of the finds of the year. It’s a film I would have loved to have written about before the festival so I could direct you to getting tickets to all the screenings, but I wasn't allowed. As it is I’m just going to say go to any screening you can. It’s not the best film ever made, it’s probably not one of the best of the year but it is a small treasure.

The plot has 15 year old Alma trying to navigate life in her small town in Norway. She lives with her single mom, hangs out with friends, and calls the phone sex lines because she is so horny. When Artur, the boy she likes, pokes her with his privates, she is so shocked that she tells her friends, one of which conspires to ruin her since she likes him as well. How it spins out is the film.

Yes it deals frankly with sex but it’s not dirty. And no its not exploitative or dark. Its like life. It just sort of is.

It’s the sort of thing where it starts off and you think, hey I like he way this looks (the photography is beautiful) and sounds(it has one of the soundtracks in ages) before the film starts to move so as to trick you into thinking perhaps this is going to go into trashy territory…only it never really goes there and the film remains firmly real and human.

When I saw this in the film list I thought , well this might be good. I went to the screening where I started out being curious, then went to thinking hey this looks good, to oh no this is going into cliche on to no it’s not, to hey this is good and finally feeling all warm and fuzzy at the end.

What a wonderful charming marvelous little film.

Sadly this film will probably not get a real release in the US. The nudity and frank sexuality of 15 year olds is going to give the MPAA kittens. Never mind that the film is the sort of thing that should be shown to kids in high school… the powers that be will prevent it from being seen by the audience who would love it the most.

I loved this film and hate to think that without Tribeca I might never have seen this film.

When it was over one of the other people at the press screening said that was good. I added I liked it too and she replied it was a treat since she had seen so many films from the festival and this as only the third she liked.

A must see. A must find.

Its exactly the sort of film this blog was started to highlight.