Direction: Savanah Leaf
Country: USA
Savanah Leaf’s directorial feature debut is based on the documentary short The Heart Still Hums, which she co-directed in 2020 with Taylor Russell. It’s a spare bleak drama that, despite a few moments of genuine pathos, plunges into monotone melodramatic waters as the story moves forward.
The plot focuses on the 24-year-old Gia (Tia Nomore), a single mother and former addict in recovery, who is expecting a third child while having the other two in foster care. In constant financial struggle, Gia considers giving her baby for adoption, meeting with a potential foster family that could give her child the stability she cannot. However, her indecision is considerably augmented by her conservative best friend (Doechii), who is also pregnant.
We’ve seen this topic many times, which sets a high bar for the director. Her efforts end up being unsubstantial as the possibilities of the story become narrow. The script feels thoroughly scattershot at times, especially in dealing with its characters, and lacks the subtlety that might have made them more interesting. In addition to a quite impersonal staging, there’s this sluggish pace impeding the narrative flow.
Some moments of emotional truth within the uneven parts don’t avoid a forgettable whole that translates into a minimalist procession of despair with an overall mediocre payoff. There’s simply not enough material for a feature here.
