I Believe in Unicorns (2014) Reviews

• An intimate portrait of a young woman escaping through romance

  hannahrittner2015-08-22

  I Believe in Unicorns is a poetic and deeply intimate film. Its greatest achievement is how it conveys the loss of innocence as a teenage girl discovers womanhood/independence through a road-trip with her boyfriend. However, this newly discovered freedom seems to be just as disturbing as the home life she seeks to escape. Meyerhoff depicts through stop- motion and an effusive color-palette the POV/Internal life of our main character--Davina. There are unicorns, knights, princesses--it's a narrative of mythology to describe how her childlike internal world is trying to make sense of the looming chaos of her adult life. This film does not depict the empowerment of love but is a cautionary tale for the relationships we chase when we are looking to escape our circumstances. And through this cyclone, we see Davina's mythological internal world crumble as her external one transforms. This film is sophisticated and confident in its approach. It commits to one story/character- rather then a feature aiming to dizzy us with a multitude of sub-plots. The two stories can arguably be distilled to Davina's romance with Sterling and the adventures of her mythological internal world. As a result, you leave feeling you know this person like a best friend or a lover. (A testament to Natalia Dyer's acting). This is a treat given cinema's ever-growing plague of saccharin and one-dimensional female characters. What you learn about Davina is not just magical--but it is terrifying. And the fact that Meyerhoff gives us such a close portrait of a teenage girl is nothing short of daring (things don't just boil down to getting the romantic interest and being happy--there is nightmare that looms from even chasing one)--from first sexual encounters (the squeaky awkwardness) to finding true love for an imaginary princess. This wide spectrum exists in Davina. I only look forward to meeting more of the characters Meyerhoff brings to life.

• Inspirational

  kellybachman3362015-10-29

  At the conclusion of this beautiful film, my first thought was "FINALLY." Finally, a teenage girl in a film who actually reminds me of my adolescent self, finally a teenage girl story that is reflective of real experiences which are very relatable for many women today. Leah Meyerhoff's direction was magical, and truly captured the perspective of a teenage girl. The acting was superb, and every scene animated or not was a piece of art. I could go on, but I'll end by noting that this film inspired me to want to tell real stories about women; stories that matter. Thank you Leah!

• Amazing understanding of the human condition

  LauraAltair2015-07-24

  All teenage girls need to see this I Believe in Unicorns. Or for that matter, anyone who ever was a teenage girl needs to. Leah Meyerhoff somehow manages to capture the human condition so perfectly in this film. It shows the ugly little details of life and relationships that nobody bothers to do in most movies and leaves you with a gut wrenching feeling (but in a good way). That's what really sets it apart. Natalia Dyer gives an extremely brave performance as Davina, a 16 year old girl juggling school, taking care of her mother with MS, and a new relationship with Sterling (Peter Vack), an older "bad boy". Sterling starts out as her "unicorn", but that starts to change as they become closer. It's also beautifully shot, some of it on 16mm film which gives it a vintage, timeless feel. There is no use of modern technology throughout the entire film, which leaves you guessing whether it took place in the present day or some magic era that never existed. The stop motion sequences make it whimsical and fantastical.

• An artistic look at love as a young teen

  juliaqcoulter2015-07-19

  I Believe in Unicorns was visually stunning! Leah Meyerhoff is certainly an artist to watch, she didn't shy away from the raw sexuality that we all experience as teenage girls and how we would all bend over backwards for the guy we think is "perfect". Natalia Dyer and Peter Vack beautifully capture teen relationships at their messiest and you are draw into their world even more by the stop motion animation story that parallels their performance. I was particularly moved by her writing her mother into the script. Disabled people are wildly underrepresented in the film industry despite the fact that it effects so many peoples lives including my own. Was very moved and throughly enjoyed this film.

• An original coming of age tale featuring a young girl and her ultimate acceptance of reality

  eesredhead2015-07-11

  When I first saw "I Believe in Unicorns" I was immediately struck by its power; completely enamored by its sheer beauty and the importance of its narrative. What specifically struck me was how unabashedly truthful it is, unapologetically entreating us to understand a young girl's plight for serenity and what that may mean. Its pendular narrative dances between fantasy and reality revealing how a girl copes and ultimately accepts the brutalities and pain of the world in which she lives; rightfully redefining the "coming of age" genre entirely. The film really spoke to me, and I believe it to be a must see for every woman of any age.