March 4, 2023
FILM: PALM TREES AND POWER LINES
DIRECTED BY: JAMIE DACK
STARRING: LILY MCINERNY, JONATHAN TUCKER, GRETCHEN MOL
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When we first meet 17 year old Lea in the new film Palm Trees and Power Lines, she appears to be a typical teenager: bored and ready for some excitement. She tries out adulthood by putting on makeup and smoking. Her life at this point is reminiscent of Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde. She’s ready to take on whatever comes her way. Instead of becoming involved with a gangster though, Lea gets involved with a man who is twice her age. You might be able to predict where this narrative heads but writer/director Jamie Dack provides a smooth and gradual build-up to the seemingly inevitable climax and a refreshing take on the innocent perspective of young Lea.
We learn early on that Lea lives with her mother (Gretchen Mol) who seems to have a variety of boyfriends and dates. Dad is out of the picture. Lea is generally left to do what she pleases. Most of that is spent with her high school friends who act and sound like a lot of bored teenagers. One night she and her friend Amber run out of a restaurant without paying. When an altercation begins, Lea is “saved” by Tom, a 34-year old man. Tom is clean-cut and chiseled with muscles surrounding his bad boy white t-shirt. The two strike up a friendship of sorts and begin seeing each other regularly.
Dack allows the relationship to build slowly. Tom seems sincere and Lea is clearly smitten. It’s hard not to feel the impending dread though. Lea seems to want a father figure and Tom knows all the right things to say. Is he a manipulator? Sweet-talker? Groomer? The age difference suggests, if nothing else, that he has the power lines reflected in the film’s title and she is the swaying palm tree that is too high over this attention that she can’t stop moving towards him.
I won’t spoil where the film ends up going but suffice to say, Tom starts receiving mysterious phone calls and has to fix problems with some local friends. We are just as suspicious as Lea is but anyone with a little bit of maturity can begin to read the between the lines. How the situation plays out is disturbing, even if we don’t initially find Tom to be particularly “creepy.” (Unless the age difference immediately initiates an unsavory taste in your brain.)
What really stands out about this film though is how committed Lea is to Tom. She really believes he loves her, and maybe he does. Then again, Dack does an amazing job of putting us directly into Lea’s shoes. We can understand from her 17-year old mind what Tom means to her. He’s the only savior she seems to have at this point; the only one who “gets” her.
Lily McInerny as Lea beautifully captures how the character evolves throughout the film. She is subtle in her changes and never once appears over-the-top and inauthentic as a teenager. This is a star making performance. Jonathan Tucker is also quite good as Tom. He presents the right amount of charm and sexiness that is needed to attract Lea. He only reveals what Lea sees. It is only later that we see his exterior begin to crack a bit with a seriousness that suggests he knows exactly what he is doing.
Palm Trees and Power Lines is not a film for everyone. One has to be open to seeing and understanding the perspective of a 17-year old who is feeling what Lea feels throughout the film. Yes, there’s certainly seediness to the film but the script and performances are handled so delicately, realistically, and truthfully that we become much more keenly aware of how these types of relationships start.
Palm Trees and Power Lines is nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards this year. It is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime.
FILM: PALM TREES AND POWER LINES
DIRECTED BY: JAMIE DACK
STARRING: LILY MCINERNY, JONATHAN TUCKER, GRETCHEN MOL
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When we first meet 17 year old Lea in the new film Palm Trees and Power Lines, she appears to be a typical teenager: bored and ready for some excitement. She tries out adulthood by putting on makeup and smoking. Her life at this point is reminiscent of Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde. She’s ready to take on whatever comes her way. Instead of becoming involved with a gangster though, Lea gets involved with a man who is twice her age. You might be able to predict where this narrative heads but writer/director Jamie Dack provides a smooth and gradual build-up to the seemingly inevitable climax and a refreshing take on the innocent perspective of young Lea.
We learn early on that Lea lives with her mother (Gretchen Mol) who seems to have a variety of boyfriends and dates. Dad is out of the picture. Lea is generally left to do what she pleases. Most of that is spent with her high school friends who act and sound like a lot of bored teenagers. One night she and her friend Amber run out of a restaurant without paying. When an altercation begins, Lea is “saved” by Tom, a 34-year old man. Tom is clean-cut and chiseled with muscles surrounding his bad boy white t-shirt. The two strike up a friendship of sorts and begin seeing each other regularly.
Dack allows the relationship to build slowly. Tom seems sincere and Lea is clearly smitten. It’s hard not to feel the impending dread though. Lea seems to want a father figure and Tom knows all the right things to say. Is he a manipulator? Sweet-talker? Groomer? The age difference suggests, if nothing else, that he has the power lines reflected in the film’s title and she is the swaying palm tree that is too high over this attention that she can’t stop moving towards him.
I won’t spoil where the film ends up going but suffice to say, Tom starts receiving mysterious phone calls and has to fix problems with some local friends. We are just as suspicious as Lea is but anyone with a little bit of maturity can begin to read the between the lines. How the situation plays out is disturbing, even if we don’t initially find Tom to be particularly “creepy.” (Unless the age difference immediately initiates an unsavory taste in your brain.)
What really stands out about this film though is how committed Lea is to Tom. She really believes he loves her, and maybe he does. Then again, Dack does an amazing job of putting us directly into Lea’s shoes. We can understand from her 17-year old mind what Tom means to her. He’s the only savior she seems to have at this point; the only one who “gets” her.
Lily McInerny as Lea beautifully captures how the character evolves throughout the film. She is subtle in her changes and never once appears over-the-top and inauthentic as a teenager. This is a star making performance. Jonathan Tucker is also quite good as Tom. He presents the right amount of charm and sexiness that is needed to attract Lea. He only reveals what Lea sees. It is only later that we see his exterior begin to crack a bit with a seriousness that suggests he knows exactly what he is doing.
Palm Trees and Power Lines is not a film for everyone. One has to be open to seeing and understanding the perspective of a 17-year old who is feeling what Lea feels throughout the film. Yes, there’s certainly seediness to the film but the script and performances are handled so delicately, realistically, and truthfully that we become much more keenly aware of how these types of relationships start.
Palm Trees and Power Lines is nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards this year. It is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime.