The storyline follows Kali (Hannah Fang), a confident student in school. After giving a presentation to the class, one of Kali's friends tells her that she's naturally very confident. However, she has flashbacks to her younger self and remembers a time when she was younger and how she had a hard time making friends due to her shyness. Luckily, another decided to befriend Kali and that gave her the confidence to overcome her shyness. Now she wants to play it forward.
I love that the director and writer, Kayla Jem Ling, had the courage to make a film about her own personal life story. The plot of this film is stellar; I love how the storyline transitions from a young girl always feeling left out to her becoming confident and actively including others. This is an encouraging message and also a relatable situation that many people have experienced.
The camera work is a bit inconsistent at times. It starts out with beautiful clean and stable shots, and later is a bit shaky, plus the audio in the outdoor scenes is muddled and we hear the wind sounds, which is very distracting. But the film transcends that, fortunately. The background music creates a friendly and pleasant atmosphere. I enjoyed Hannah Fang's portrayal of Kali - she is relatable, kind, and confident. The scene where she makes the new girl feel included shows her confident side. Enya Ling's performance as young Kali really captures the shy insecure side of the younger Kali. Both actresses' performances give a believable representation of Kali and show the progression of her growth. The dialogue captures the underlying message while keeping the audiences engaged. My favorite part is Kali's transformation - when she transitions from a shy and picked-on kid to a confident teen who makes it her goal to include other kids who might be just as shy as she once was. This story is very empowering for anyone going through a similar situation.
The film's message is to always be a friend and include others when you see they are feeling left out.
I give Your Necklace 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. By Tia O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
The storyline follows Kali (Hannah Fang), a confident student in school. After giving a presentation to the class, one of Kali's friends tells her that she's naturally very confident. However, she has flashbacks to her younger self and remembers a time when she was younger and how she had a hard time making friends due to her shyness. Luckily, another decided to befriend Kali and that gave her the confidence to overcome her shyness. Now she wants to play it forward.
I love that the director and writer, Kayla Jem Ling, had the courage to make a film about her own personal life story. The plot of this film is stellar; I love how the storyline transitions from a young girl always feeling left out to her becoming confident and actively including others. This is an encouraging message and also a relatable situation that many people have experienced.
The camera work is a bit inconsistent at times. It starts out with beautiful clean and stable shots, and later is a bit shaky, plus the audio in the outdoor scenes is muddled and we hear the wind sounds, which is very distracting. But the film transcends that, fortunately. The background music creates a friendly and pleasant atmosphere. I enjoyed Hannah Fang's portrayal of Kali - she is relatable, kind, and confident. The scene where she makes the new girl feel included shows her confident side. Enya Ling's performance as young Kali really captures the shy insecure side of the younger Kali. Both actresses' performances give a believable representation of Kali and show the progression of her growth. The dialogue captures the underlying message while keeping the audiences engaged. My favorite part is Kali's transformation - when she transitions from a shy and picked-on kid to a confident teen who makes it her goal to include other kids who might be just as shy as she once was. This story is very empowering for anyone going through a similar situation.
The film's message is to always be a friend and include others when you see they are feeling left out.
I give Your Necklace 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. By Tia O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
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