agmtw logo
search
Anne at 13,000 Ft. (2021)

Anne at 13,000 Ft. (2021)

A naturalistic and massively anxious character study of a person in freefall

7.0

Movie

Canada
English
Drama
2021
KAZIK RADWANSKI
Deragh Campbell, Dorothea Paas, Helly Chester
75 min

TLDR

Me, every time Anne begins an ordinary task: why do I hear boss music?

What it's about

After skydiving for the first time, a woman who works at a daycare center struggles to go about her daily life and interactions.

The take

A character study in the absolute purest sense, Anne at 13,000 Ft. doesn't even have the kind of satisfying closure one would expect from any story, nor does it explain anything about its protagonist's difficult, erratic behavior in the context of mental health. It's an exercise in testing how much empathy a character can earn solely on account of their being a human being having a hard time. Appropriately, the filmmaking on display makes for a deliberately uncomfortable experience, with tension ratcheting up in practically every given situation, enhanced by the fact that director Kazik Radwanski and star Deragh Campbell improvised much of the movie as they were making it.

What stands out

Whatever previous experience Deragh Campbell has with improv pays off in spades here, as her Anne comes off as both a believable, cohesive character and a completely unpredictable force of nature. And even if the film never defines what it is Anne is suffering from, Campbell still makes sure to define her beyond any hypothetical mental illness. She's still a sweet, sincere person at heart, but whose desperation to maintain a grip on different social situations causes her to act in a way that ends up scaring or stressing out those around her. The film doesn't provide particularly constructive information about its subject matter, but it definitely works as an experience in itself.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

The Substance (2024)

Demi Moore swaps bodies in this standout chaotic body dysmorphia horror

8.0

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

His Three Daughters (2024)

Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait

8.9

Wind River (2017)

Sicario's screenwriter directs this story of murder in an Indigenous reserve

9.4

Cold War (2018)

A quiet Polish masterpiece with ravishing music and dazzling visuals

9.2

Short Term 12 (2013)

Sweet, slow-moving, and possibly life-changing, this American drama shines the light on the chaos and crises of social work in America

9.9

Wild Tales (2014)

Co-produced by Pedro Almodóvar, this tumultuous Argentine anthology film tests the limits of human sanity when pushed to the extremes – and will also test yours.

9.9

The Farewell (2019)

Awkwafina shines in this complex culture clash comedy.

9.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.