The storyline is about a 12-year-old girl, Charlie (Dolly Gadsdon), who is in boarding school and is teased mercilessly by her dorm mates. So, she invents an imaginary friend, but her classmates make fun of her so she avoids her friend. The girl then realizes that she needs him and is very glad to have him. Charlie realizes that, though some people may be rude, you can't let them control your life or control you. This film is from the United Kingdom and I enjoyed the British accents and point of view.
Her friend, Harry (Bert Davis), may be imaginary, but not so in this film. He's as real to the viewer as he is to Charlie, and he offers her true friendship. The cinematography is excellent. I particularly like the opening scene, which starts out very dark, but when Charlie settles down, the light on her face perfectly illuminates her and seems to reveal her innermost thoughts. The director makes use of some interesting camera angles, such as when Charlie is walking down the hallway and the girls laugh at her because, in that scene, you clearly see Charlie and the girls. My favorite scene is when Charlie, as an adult, is talking with her friend and the camera slides into a brick wall for credits. I really like that transition and it's a great way to end the film. Throughout this film, Charlie has a huge character arc, which I love. I also like that, though her friend is imaginary, she has just as much fun with him as she would have if he was real. The plot development is slow at first, but picks up a bit. The costumes are great and fit the story. The mean girls wear pink and purple and Charlie wears yellow. This reminds me of the saying, "be a sunflower in a field of roses." The film showcases Charlie's uniqueness.
All the sets are beautiful. My favorite is the one where Charlie is doing her homework and her friend asks her to play. This set has beautiful bushes and trees around it and looks very tranquil. The special effects work well. There is one scene where Charlie draws her imaginary friend and then he comes to life, but has a rip in his shirt and so Charlie puts tape on the drawing and the rip fades away. The special effects for that are great and look believable. Charlie grows a lot in this film - she goes from being sad and lonely, to happy and playful. Charlie realizes that she needs to speak up for herself and take control of her own life. I would like to commend the writers and costume designers for their excellent work. The story is creative, well thought out and fun and Charlie's clothes are terrific. My favorite character is her imaginary friend, Harry, because, even when Charlie wants to give up, Harry doesn't. He has a huge impact on Charlie's character arc and is a super uplifting character.
The film's message is that although some people might rattle you, they can only knock you down if you let them. If you let people mistreat you, things only get worse. For Charlie, it just took some encouragement. Be forewarned that there is some cussing and implied nudity during the shower scene that make it inappropriate for younger audiences.
I give The Friend 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Josephine K., KIDS FIRST!
The storyline is about a 12-year-old girl, Charlie (Dolly Gadsdon), who is in boarding school and is teased mercilessly by her dorm mates. So, she invents an imaginary friend, but her classmates make fun of her so she avoids her friend. The girl then realizes that she needs him and is very glad to have him. Charlie realizes that, though some people may be rude, you can't let them control your life or control you. This film is from the United Kingdom and I enjoyed the British accents and point of view.
Her friend, Harry (Bert Davis), may be imaginary, but not so in this film. He's as real to the viewer as he is to Charlie, and he offers her true friendship. The cinematography is excellent. I particularly like the opening scene, which starts out very dark, but when Charlie settles down, the light on her face perfectly illuminates her and seems to reveal her innermost thoughts. The director makes use of some interesting camera angles, such as when Charlie is walking down the hallway and the girls laugh at her because, in that scene, you clearly see Charlie and the girls. My favorite scene is when Charlie, as an adult, is talking with her friend and the camera slides into a brick wall for credits. I really like that transition and it's a great way to end the film. Throughout this film, Charlie has a huge character arc, which I love. I also like that, though her friend is imaginary, she has just as much fun with him as she would have if he was real. The plot development is slow at first, but picks up a bit. The costumes are great and fit the story. The mean girls wear pink and purple and Charlie wears yellow. This reminds me of the saying, "be a sunflower in a field of roses." The film showcases Charlie's uniqueness.
All the sets are beautiful. My favorite is the one where Charlie is doing her homework and her friend asks her to play. This set has beautiful bushes and trees around it and looks very tranquil. The special effects work well. There is one scene where Charlie draws her imaginary friend and then he comes to life, but has a rip in his shirt and so Charlie puts tape on the drawing and the rip fades away. The special effects for that are great and look believable. Charlie grows a lot in this film - she goes from being sad and lonely, to happy and playful. Charlie realizes that she needs to speak up for herself and take control of her own life. I would like to commend the writers and costume designers for their excellent work. The story is creative, well thought out and fun and Charlie's clothes are terrific. My favorite character is her imaginary friend, Harry, because, even when Charlie wants to give up, Harry doesn't. He has a huge impact on Charlie's character arc and is a super uplifting character.
The film's message is that although some people might rattle you, they can only knock you down if you let them. If you let people mistreat you, things only get worse. For Charlie, it just took some encouragement. Be forewarned that there is some cussing and implied nudity during the shower scene that make it inappropriate for younger audiences.
I give The Friend 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Josephine K., KIDS FIRST!
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