Super 8

[oscar jubis]

I finally watched it. At a theatrical screening for UM students (one of those programs college students get for paying an activity fee). I had a great time. Surprised at the negative reviews from bon and CK. Amazed that y'all don't mention the most compelling narrative thread of the film and one the film seems to regard as central. Of course, I'm referring to the love triangle. The relationships involving the two boys and the girl, magnificently played by Elle Fanning, are developed gradually over the course of the film with great finesse. The expressive burden is placed on the young actors because they often choose to withhold their feelings or can't find the words to express them. You can trace the arc of the romance in the face of Joel Courtney. You can witness the rift between the boys in a number of excellent reaction shots. There's a magnificent rehearsal scene in which Fanning amazes the boys with her sensitivity and depth. I moved to Ohio in 1981. I lived in Columbus but became familiar with the small towns many of my friends at OSU called home. The small-town-Ohio-circa-1980 setting rang true to me.