Film Journal 2024: IF
Directed by John Krasinski
I recognize there is probably room for sone level of critique here, but I really resonated with the spirit and themes of this film. It’s a specific audience, gearing older then I expected, not in terms of content but in terms of theme and target. It’s a family film, to be sure, but it is speaking to the pairing, a father and a 12 year old daughter, each in their own way.
At the core of the story is an invitation to tell your story. And the vehicle for storytelling of this nature is memory. This becomes a stepping off point for Krasinski to then lean into his distinct visual approach, with NYC proving the perfect setting to strike that perfect balance between a necessary nostalgia and a modern aesthetic. What binds this together is a commitment to the story’s magical realism as well, bringing together that childhood imagination and the the grown up perspective in a way that really meshes well with Krasinski’s style. Really loved too how he utilizes the camera in ways that evoke these differing perspectives. It’s a creative approach that evokes plenty of emotional moments along with moments of fun and charm while making a lot of use out of the set design.
Whatever one might want to say about the specific target audience, which might leave younger kids a bit lost in the shuffle, Kransiki mirrors this after family films of a bygone era. Perhaps its greatest strength to this end is its authenticity and its heart,feeling like a genuine passion project from father to kid in its rawest form, which from what I understand is what this project was born from.
Loved Cailey Fleming in the role of the 12 year old too. A definite natural charisma.
The Stories of my Life 