One of the Most Complete and yet Simple Films I’ve Seen

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MOVIE REVIEW
Poser
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director(s): Noah Dixon, Ori Segev
Writer(s): Noah Dixon
Cast: Sylvie Mix, Bobbi Kitten, Abdul Seidu, Rachel Keefe
Where To Watch: In select theaters across the US visit poser.oscilloscope.net/ to see the showing nearest you.

Every once in a while, a film will strike me, and ultimately I will never forget it. I will mention it in passing for years to come. It will become a part of my lifelong zeitgeist and will always hold an important place in my world. POSER is one such film, and it will join the ranks of LADY BIRD, LA LA LAND, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, and many others as a film that I’ll always look back on. These are pretty strong words for a movie by two first-time directors and two leads with only a handful of performances to their names. Honestly, I think that makes it that much more impressive honestly.

The story focuses mainly on Sylvie Mix, who plays Lennon Gates, a girl who wants more than anything to crack into the music scene of her town and will do so by whatever means necessary. Along this journey, Lennon runs into Bobbi Kitten, who is playing a caricature of herself in the movie. After meeting Bobbi, Lennon’s world changes drastically and quickly. Bobbi and Z Wolf, who is also in the film, are in the real-life band Damn the Witch Siren, whose songs are also featured in the movie.

A self-made coming of age story shows Lennon’s growth and the price that idolization can cause in the long run. Both Mix and Kitten’s performances are what sold the film to me, and I felt like I was indeed a fly on the wall while watching the story unfold in front of me. The directors partially based the film on their experience in Columbus, Ohio’s music scene. One of their statements stuck with me “We were introduced to the most talented, passionate, and absurd people that we had ever met.” That truly is what this film screams to me; this world that is so unique but so passionate draws people’s attention.

Sometimes the best films are the ones that ride the line closest to reality for me. More often than not, true stories or those inspired by true stories are the most intriguing ones. I love STAR WARS and Marvel movies, but when it comes to “real life,” I want to watch a story that could unfold in my backyard. While I don’t live in an area with the music scene Columbus offers, I still often felt like this film could be in my world. I think that’s why some of the more shocking moments hit so hard. I grew to accept this cast of characters as real people, and along with that came their struggles and trials.

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