Share review – Sensitive and sobering drama focuses on rape in high school | Movie

TThe harmless launch of a new text message is turning into an annoying sign of sadness in the feature debut Share, of director and screenwriter Pippa Bianco, which offers a devastating portrait of high school life on smartphone era. It begins with the end of an evening of debauchery and the awakening of 16-year-old Mandy (Rhianne Barreto) on her lawn in front of her house, disturbed by her inability to remember what is wrong with her. has made it to go there.

This confused sense of confusion follows her and us through what is essentially a dark detective novel – but in which the detective has no control over the matter she desperately needs to get to the bottom of things. His initial hope that the worst-case scenario is perhaps a drunken embarrbadment is broken when a video appears, shared among friends, of unconscious Mandy and amidst a group of boys whose one begins to pull on his clothes. It is inconclusive, but disconcerting enough to send it in free fall. Who saw that? Who judges it? And, more importantly, what happened after the video was cut?

Based on the award-winning short film by the same name, Bianco, Share extends a horrendous storyline to a 89-minute feature film, which was premiered at Sundance before being picked up by HBO for a small screen debut. It's a wise choice, not only because of his participation in the dramatic drama for teenagers Euphoria, but also because it's a silent movie that works best on a modest canvas. Sharing would be unjustly stuck on the big screen and would fade quickly, but a wider audience of TVs could connect to it, and a younger audience could carry something more substantial. It does not work exactly like a public interest message, but Bianco does not hesitate to share essential lessons about consent and gender, which could be important for any viewer, but especially for teens.

Bianco zeroes on the well-observed minutiae of the fallout, the overwhelming normality of Mandy's potential rapist who always hangs out with his insane friends, with the involuntarily callous rejection lines of those around him. "You will forget it. Everyone will do it, "says a clbadmate without realizing the short-sighted idiocy of what he says. Mandy is not technically alone – loving parents and a network of friends are at one text – but nobody fully understands the horror of his problems and the movie works best when he shows how much a victim of badual badault can be isolated feel, regardless of privilege or superficial support system. The haunted face of Barreto perfectly sums up all that the viewer has to say: the already fragile psyche of the young teenager slowly dissipates, realizing how unfair the world can be. The system is lacking, as are those whom she trusts. It is sad to see her calculate while weighing all perceived responsibility. It's confusing and overwhelming and Bianco avoids simplification, choosing rather disturbing nuances.

Even though Share ends in 90 minutes, Bianco struggles to maintain his premises until the end, especially in the final act, as times begin to feel repeated and our investment begins to waver. It's less a fault on his part than the means she chose: Sharing would have allowed a drama of one hour more controlled and more effective, because as a film, it bends under the weight. What his beginnings prove for the moment is that his career deserves to be examined carefully, a business card fiercely crafted for great things to come.