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IN THE LAND OF MOONSTONES

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I'm quite fond of this charming short because it touches so delicately on first love, coming of age, an affectionate grandmother and The Little Prince. It's woven together so sweetly as a memoir to a turning point in this young woman's youth. The story is a reflection by a young woman on a winter vacation when she visits her Russian grandmother in Brighton Beach, meets a young man who becomes her first love and breaks away from her ordinary life in Westchester where nothing ever happens. It's well shot with excellent cinematography and makes use of animated drawings to bridge between scenes. The narrator and protagonist in the film is quite believable, as is her quite unorthodox grandmother who offers her a draw on her cigarette and the two them cuddle in bed reading The Little Prince. The boy who she falls for is unexpectedly present. He helps open her eyes to doing things that she would normally do and the actor that plays him portrays him in a very laid back way, which makes him seem real. I think kids will relate to this story, especially tweens and teens so I recommend it for ages 12 to 15, as well as adults. And, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Reviewed by Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror.

A young girl looks back on an extraordinary time in her life -- winter vacation the year she was eleven, when she went to visit her beloved Russian grandmother in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. But it wasn't just any ordinary vacation. That was the winter she fell in love for the first time, with an extraordinary boy just her age. Now, some time later, she remembers the joys and sorrows that followed. Told in live-action and animated drawings, this film is an ode to intergenerational friendships, memories, and the first loves that never really leave us