Title: Sparks
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Fergus Campbell
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Thomas Deen Baker, Julia D’Angelo
Runtime: 1 hr 18 mins

What It Is: Somewhere in Sparks, NV there’s a reservoir that some have rumored works as a time portal one can use to find themselves in a different time and place. A group of teenagers are determined to find out whether the rumors are true or not. Ambitious Cleo (Fisher) knows exactly where and when she wants to go back to. 1960s Paris, particularly to take part in the French Nouvelle Vague wave in cinema. She dreams of being an actress in these films, and getting out of this desert wasteland.

What We Think: One of the biggest standouts with this film is its visual language. This doesn’t look like anything else I’ve seen this year. There’s a certain look to this entire affair. This might be my favorite thing about the film, outside of its love of 1960s French cinema. Elsie Fisher navigates the script and content here wonderfully. I loved what Fergus Campbell was doing here. He takes some really good risks and they totally work. As a debut director though, it is clearly pacing where his lack of experience is notable. This film feels so much longer than its perfect runtime.

Our Grade: C+, I liked a lot of this, but not every part of it. There’s a lot of problems with the way the film is presented to us. Those are probably due to directorial choices. Either way I found the overall product to be pretty good and I believe my grade reflects this. What I will say to wrap this whole thing up is that there’s not enough meat on.

Make sure to check out our interview with director Fergus Campbell which you can find below!

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