The Girl (David Riker, 2013)

In some ways, I think I might resent the modern indie vanguard of message movies over the classic Kramer model. At least the usual sort has the decency to be shameless in its hectoring tone, while these smaller pictures try to sneak their laborious moralizing under cloaks of false ambiguity. It is agonizing to see Abbie Cornish wasted yet again in a part predefined by visualizations of the character bio in the script, given no chance to build a human out of her character. Likewise, the redemptive arc David Riker ties into a muted cry at our broken and cruel immigration system serves primarily to exonerate the white woman from her guilt. The only thing worse than awards-baiting studio productions about serious issues are films like this that commit the same sins but think themselves superior to their larger-scaled counterparts.

My full review is up now at Spectrum Culture.