2023 BUSHWICK FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Jordan (Avery-Jai Andrews) is leaving next week to move to Los Angeles. She’s found a new job, and it’s time that she moves on to bigger and better things–but now she has to leave her friends behind. When she invites her friends over for one last get together, she finds that the relationship that they once had no longer exists. Little Boxes showcases their potentially final interactions with one another as their cell phones seem to stand in the way of their happiness.
Little Boxes is a little slow to start, and as it attempts to establish itself into the artistic piece that it ultimately becomes, I think that viewers will struggle to understand what exactly is happening, and where this takes place. As the film navigates a very unique space in cinema, it’s guaranteed to lose some viewers along the way. However, as quickly as it loses some viewers, it reestablishes itself and reels viewers back in.
Toward the end of Little Boxes it becomes clear that this sort of exists outside of space and time, but also transcends space and time. It’s a mockumentary, a narrative, an experimental film of sorts–but its purpose is made clear relatively early on. Little Boxes continues to explore the idea that cell phones are destructive throughout its entirety–and Writer-Director Hannah Cullen is effective in telling her story.
Little Boxes is a deeply artistic venture through space and time that allows viewers to see the flaws of the world and the flaws of themselves. Using vibrant colors, smooth and immersive dance, and a closed set in which the characters are effectively forced into a little box (just like the title might suggest), this film hits the nail on the head. However, the thing that manages to work the best is the choreography. If I’m being honest, I think the dance moves seen on screen are beyond what I’m able to fully comprehend and analyze–however, Little Boxes uses these moments to propel the film forward and to tap into viewers’ emotions. There’s something about the characters being isolated while they dance that allows emotion to rise to the surface; and when they come together toward the conclusion of the film, the smooth and sensual touching that exists throughout the dance numbers reels viewers in and helps to strengthen that emotion even more.
Cullen has a really interesting way of creating emotion, but the way in which she approaches this aspect of Little Boxes is incredibly effective. Through dance and an almost strange blend of genres, Little Boxes comes to life with vibrancy and vigor. The film starts off in strange fashion, but it quickly rights itself and wows the rest of the way.
Written & Directed by Hannah Cullen.
Starring Avery-Jai Andrews, Ramiro Batista, Quinn Dixon, Maggie Joy, Liam Mackenzie, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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