Virginia Minnesota

Tremendously entertaining !! Characters you can endear yourself to, with a story to match. As a bonus, almost a highlight reel of Minnesota scenery. Anxious to see lots more from Daniel Stine and company !!!

The feature film debut of actor/filmmaker Daniel Stine, Virginia Minnesota is an arthouse dramedy not dissimilar in tone to genre heavy-hitters such as Garden State and Little Miss Sunshine and while its low-key and humanly centric leaves a little to be desired, Stine has crafted a film that's easy to enjoy and suggests the budding filmmaker is one to keep a close eye on moving forward.

Focusing its attention on Aurora Perrineau's and Rachel Hendrix's long-term friends Addison and Lyle, mid-20 year old girls who have found themselves haunted by past events the house for neglected children they lived in as children, Virginia Minnesota is a quietly contemplative study on grief, loss and friendship as these two meandering souls find themselves in each other's lives once more and looking to move past the roadblocks that have halted their lives up until this point in time.

Perrineau and Hendrix both deliver strong turns with Perrineau in particular impressing as the complicated and feisty Addison who isn't afraid to say it how it is and burn bridges along the way doing so.

The daughter of well-known actor Harold (who appears here in voice format as the helpful/unhelpful talking piece of luggage Mister), Perrineau plays Addison just the right side of likeable as her and Lyle head on a road trip of sorts through the scenic countryside of this Minnesota set tale.

With this picturesque backdrop at his disposal Stine finds another character within his film that helps compliment the films at times stuttering narrative that through a few mistimed circumstances isn't as funny or emotionally powerful as it could've been.

It's a slight shame that Virginia Minnesota didn't completely nail its tonal shifts between comedy and drama and as is the case with films of this ilk it's always a hard balance to weigh up comedic moments, serious musings or whimsy to the right amount and at the end of the day it will offer Stine an important learning experience moving forward to combine all his elements into a more confident whole.

Final Say -

A small and likeable character driven experience, Virginia Minnesota may not transcend to grand heights but this impressive feature debut from Stine, that features a breakthrough performance from Perreneau, is an indie film well worth seeking out.

3 donut loving old people out of 5

Daniel Stine is a great storyteller who weaves a marvelous tale of mystery, comedy and reflection featuring my favorite imaginary friend, Mister. The girls, Aurora Perrineau and Rachel Hendix bring the right amount of fun and regret to their characters while remind us of how a single event can change us profoundly while creating an unbreakable bond between friends who over time drift apart.

This is primarily a road movie, about two young women who were in the same home for troubled teens years before. Now they are called upon to attend the reading of the will of the woman had run the home -- but that is just a pretext for these two to meet and finally deal with their mutual issues from the past.

The movie is set in and around scenic Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Four young women, who all had extremely difficult childhoods and grew up in a foster home, are summoned to northern Minnesota at festival time, for the reading of the will of their former "group mother".

Rachel Hendrix stars as Lyle, who oversees a travel blog and writes poetry but is looking to move on from her humdrum life and has a major interview lined up for the following week. She also has Mr. Robot (voice of Harold Perrineau) as her traveling companion, and per social media is supposed to be passed on to another person of her choosing.

Aurora Perrineau co-stars as Addison, who is not happy with her myriad of low-paying jobs, one of which is a tour guide on a sightseeing boat on Lake Superior. Since all four women have to be present for the reading of the will and Addison has initially refused to join them, Lyle will travel to meet Addison and try to persuade her to return.

As they will eventually travel together on the road, it will, of course spark memories of their time at the group home, which included a tragedy involving the youngest of the residents there. I won't go into more detail to prevent writing spoilers.

This movie throws a heck of a lot into its mix, some of which is more successful than others. It has some fresh and original ideas, some fantasies and legends, quirky humor, poignancy at times, as well as an edginess and even a lot of sadness mixed in. Some elements were somewhat confusing and not entirely explained but most of the plot did gel together especially towards the end.

Overall, a most decent feature debut from writer and director Daniel Stine (who also has a role in the film) and I'd be interested to see what he next brings to the screen. The acting, especially from Hendrix and Perrineau, is quite strong, and although, as mentioned not everything works here, there was enough in this indie to keep me interested and engaged throughout.