August 6, 2025
FILM: SKETCH
DIRECTED BY: SETH WORLEY
STARRING: TONY HALE, D’ARCY CARDEN, BIANCA BELLE
RATING: 2 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
In the feature debut from Writer/Director Seth Worley, a young girl named Amber sketches creatures in a notebook following the death of her mother. Her drawings are very dark, with the monster-like figures attacking some of the people in Amber’s life. She’s clearly disturbed. Amber, played by Bianca Belle, lives with her father Taylor and brother Jack. Tony Hale from Veep and Arrested Development plays Taylor. D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place, A League of Their Own) is his sister, a real estate agent attempting to sell her brother’s home. Both are great presences in the film. They add some but not enough lightness and humor to what is otherwise a pretty bleak story in which Amber’s sketch characters terrifyingly come to life.
It’s hard to determine exactly who this film is for. It fits into the fantasy/science fiction genre with kids trying to destroy the evil demons Amber has unknowingly launched into the world. Their child-like struggle is reminiscent of Stranger Things with kids attempting to do what, apparently, adults aren’t quite equipped for. Sure, both Hale and Carden get their time in the ring, so to speak, but this is essentially a story about children fighting against evil. The characters as drawn by Amber are colorful but quite monstrous. They seemingly represent the various shades of pain the girl feels. In this sense, one could call this a film about grief.
Part of the problem is that there doesn’t appear to be any solid reason why these creatures are suddenly releasing themselves. Yes, there is a lake where Amber’s mother liked to walk but what reason would she have in the afterlife for creating such terror for her children? Some of the illustrations that come to life are as large as dinosaurs and others fly through the air like giant pre-historic birds. In a strange way, Amber appears to be less disturbed as these creatures come to life. Perhaps Worley is saying that she is coming to life and that her demons are being exorcised. Still, it’s a pretty grim representation of grief.
The special effects used to bring the creatures to life are unusual but effective. Yet, they might be too scary for young children to see. There is also a terrifying school bus crash which might also be too much for kids and their parents, for that matter. Perhaps the target audience is young or pre-adolescents. Although anyone who likes monsters in their films might appreciate the terror and visual stimulation.
There are a few messages Worley appears to be trying to communicate here such as balancing good with the bad, expressing feelings, and the ethics of peering into a child’s private creations. Amber tells Taylor to stay out of her notebook which features all of her drawings. However, through an unusual set of circumstances, he does see that she’s completed pages and pages of these dark illustrations. Should parents have access to everything their kids do? Perhaps Worley is toying with this idea while also suggesting that regardless, they must listen to their children and pay attention to what they might be internalizing.
The film also promotes the importance of fighting evil but the logic of some of the “weapons” used here is a bit off the mark. Since these are drawings Amber created with utensils such as crayons, it makes some sense that water might be effective. However, they also start fighting with fire. Why? I guess we’ve learned from other movies and games that explosive fire may be the only thing that can really destroy evil. Right?
Sketch wastes an opportunity with actors like Hale and Carden to add more light comic touches to what is ultimately a film about a family fighting monsters. If you’re into that, by all means, enter this world but note the warnings about the content I’ve mentioned above.
Sketch opens theatrically today.
FILM: SKETCH
DIRECTED BY: SETH WORLEY
STARRING: TONY HALE, D’ARCY CARDEN, BIANCA BELLE
RATING: 2 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
In the feature debut from Writer/Director Seth Worley, a young girl named Amber sketches creatures in a notebook following the death of her mother. Her drawings are very dark, with the monster-like figures attacking some of the people in Amber’s life. She’s clearly disturbed. Amber, played by Bianca Belle, lives with her father Taylor and brother Jack. Tony Hale from Veep and Arrested Development plays Taylor. D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place, A League of Their Own) is his sister, a real estate agent attempting to sell her brother’s home. Both are great presences in the film. They add some but not enough lightness and humor to what is otherwise a pretty bleak story in which Amber’s sketch characters terrifyingly come to life.
It’s hard to determine exactly who this film is for. It fits into the fantasy/science fiction genre with kids trying to destroy the evil demons Amber has unknowingly launched into the world. Their child-like struggle is reminiscent of Stranger Things with kids attempting to do what, apparently, adults aren’t quite equipped for. Sure, both Hale and Carden get their time in the ring, so to speak, but this is essentially a story about children fighting against evil. The characters as drawn by Amber are colorful but quite monstrous. They seemingly represent the various shades of pain the girl feels. In this sense, one could call this a film about grief.
Part of the problem is that there doesn’t appear to be any solid reason why these creatures are suddenly releasing themselves. Yes, there is a lake where Amber’s mother liked to walk but what reason would she have in the afterlife for creating such terror for her children? Some of the illustrations that come to life are as large as dinosaurs and others fly through the air like giant pre-historic birds. In a strange way, Amber appears to be less disturbed as these creatures come to life. Perhaps Worley is saying that she is coming to life and that her demons are being exorcised. Still, it’s a pretty grim representation of grief.
The special effects used to bring the creatures to life are unusual but effective. Yet, they might be too scary for young children to see. There is also a terrifying school bus crash which might also be too much for kids and their parents, for that matter. Perhaps the target audience is young or pre-adolescents. Although anyone who likes monsters in their films might appreciate the terror and visual stimulation.
There are a few messages Worley appears to be trying to communicate here such as balancing good with the bad, expressing feelings, and the ethics of peering into a child’s private creations. Amber tells Taylor to stay out of her notebook which features all of her drawings. However, through an unusual set of circumstances, he does see that she’s completed pages and pages of these dark illustrations. Should parents have access to everything their kids do? Perhaps Worley is toying with this idea while also suggesting that regardless, they must listen to their children and pay attention to what they might be internalizing.
The film also promotes the importance of fighting evil but the logic of some of the “weapons” used here is a bit off the mark. Since these are drawings Amber created with utensils such as crayons, it makes some sense that water might be effective. However, they also start fighting with fire. Why? I guess we’ve learned from other movies and games that explosive fire may be the only thing that can really destroy evil. Right?
Sketch wastes an opportunity with actors like Hale and Carden to add more light comic touches to what is ultimately a film about a family fighting monsters. If you’re into that, by all means, enter this world but note the warnings about the content I’ve mentioned above.
Sketch opens theatrically today.