A young woman, struggling with the death of her friend, finds herself entangled in a mystery about the universe as a mysterious signal, from an unknown dimension, brings about the end of days. Locked in her deceased friends apartment, she much decipher the meaning behind a tape cassette labelled as “this mix tape will save the world”, whilst at the same time avoiding monsters from another reality.
Starfish opens with the immortal words, ‘based on a true story’, and whilst it’s highly unlikely that someone tried to save the world from an invasion from another dimension, the truth likely is based within the bereavement felt by our main character Aubrey. First time feature director (and lead singer/songwriter of UK band Ghost Light) A. T. White, captures the tumultuous nature of grief. The entire film is coated with melancholy, but far from being buried with sadness, Starfish has a surprising amount of whimsy and charm. We see inside Aubrey’s head and her thoughts manifest themselves like something out of a cartoon, in fact there is one sequence – a stand out of the film – that unfolds in animated form.
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The whole film is filled with beautiful imagery and, in spite of its fairly singular location, features snow, sun, bright, dark and some very lovely computer effects that aid the almost ethereal nature. As one might expect given White’s musical background, both the score (which he composed) and the soundtrack (which features the likes of Sparklehorse, Grandaddy, Seafood, Sigour Rós and of course Ghost Light) are stunning. This is a rare example of a film that could be either just heard or just seen, and it would still be enjoyable. You can listen and enjoy the chilled-out soundtrack, or just watch and enjoy the wondrous visuals, either way you’d have a very pleasant time.
Virginia Gardner shows great promise as our heroine Aubrey. Gardner spends almost all of the film as the sole person on screen and showcases a dynamic range of emotions. She’s not completely on her own though, every great castaway/loner needs a companion, and with Wilson being busy on an island with Tom Hanks, Stafish offers a pet turtle.
Everything within Starfish combines to create this strange, hypnotic film of wonder that falls somewhere between Donnie Darko, I Am Legend, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. For anyone unsure as to whether the film is worth paying for, White is donating all proceeds from the film to Cancer Research.
Starfish arrives on VOD in the US, Canada, UK, Australia & New Zealand 28th May 2019.
