Abby (Sierra McCormick) is on the cusp of turning 15, with the joys, trials, and tribulations of adolescent life happening to her on the daily. This already-shaky juggling act becomes even more volatile when she is forced to move in with her father and his younger girlfriend after her mother’s death.
Writer-directors Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman’s feature film, “Edge of Everything,” tells a coming-of-age story of teenage turmoil, who these youth turn to for guidance, and the life lessons they hopefully pick up along the way.
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A Tug-of-War Between Childhood and Adulthood
Sabella and Feldman’s storytelling makes room for sparse exposition, if any, and instead opts for nuances. It doesn’t reveal the reason behind the earth of Abby’s mother, only that it made Abby even more withdrawn. Also, with enough subtexts, “Edge of Everything” clues us into the dynamic between Abby and her father David (Jason Butler Harner), who tries to win his daughter over. But then, even David knows that having a younger woman for a girlfriend (Sabrina Friedman-Seitz) is enough to be the dealbreaker for the father-daughter relationship he’s trying to forge with Abby.
These elements only make Abby feel more alone in the world, even as she struggles to process her loss. At the same time, while trying to create a sense of control and empowerment, she begins exploring new personas, as well as experimenting with drugs and sex. This exploration includes befriending the rebellious Caroline (Ryan Simplkins), who provides Abby with a friendship reeking of danger and excitement.
For a young woman looking for guidance while processing her own emotions toward her mother’s death and his father’s new family, all these can prove to be a lot. Indeed, the film does well in making Abby a little challenging protagonist to root for, if only because she comes across as too relatable. It wouldn’t be until near the end for the audiences to welcome her with open arms, finally accepting her missteps as she finds her footing in her new reality.
Assessing the Film, from the Crisp Runtime to Its Casting Choices
As the first feature from Sabella and Feldman, “Edge of Everything” is largely inspired by the duo’s experiences growing up in Mill Valley, CA. Sure, the screenplay closely adheres to the familiar coming-of-age tropes. But the strongest element of the film would probably be its runtime which, at 80 minutes, boasts of a compact storytelling. The filmmakers manage to pull off its noble intent of capturing the experience of teenage life featuring depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. “Edge of Everything” delicately paints the fragile years of youth, blemishes and all.
Probably its most glaring mistake – and which I can’t excuse – is to cast a twentysomething to play a teenager. Sierra McCormick, terrific as she was in the film, was around 24 when they started shooting the film. Couldn’t the filmmakers find a younger actor to play Abby? I understand the suspension of disbelief needed in some instances in films; but I don’t feel like it applies here. McCormick’s performance deserves praise, but her casting really takes away from the overall quality of the film.
‘Edge of Everything’: A Relatable Film That Works
Writer-directors Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman’s film, “Edge of Everything,” relies on relatability to tell a coming-of-age story we all know too well. The result — questionable casting and safely played third act aside — is an interesting film that neither tries to be groundbreaking nor promises to solve its protagonist’s burgeoning angst.
In its own little way, “Edge on Everything” manages to be a mirror to all the Abbys we know from our everyday lives. After all, they tend to grow up with a very misplaced sense of self-entitlement to privilege and invincibility. What happens to one of them becomes the focal point of this small-scale, but personal film. And in that regard, the movie does its job.
“Edge of Everything” will have its U.S. premiere at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which runs from February 7 to 14, 2024. Follow us for more coverage.
