This movie totally came out of nowhere for me – and I presume and I am not alone, as on IMDb, the movie was rated by only 431 people, and so far has fairly low score of 5.4/10, which is totally underrated. I’m not saying it will change your life, but I am saying it’s definitely worth seeing and should be way higher.
Porcupine Lake is a very tender story about a young girl, whose parents are in a tough place. Her dad takes her and his wife to a small town, away from everybody, to try to salvage what’s left of their marriage, while trying to run a small diner. This is where our main protagonist Bea meets Kate, who’s about to challenge everything she grew up knowing. She’s the cool, care-free girl, the total opposite of anxious Bea, who finds herself fascinated with Kate to a point, where Bea starts to realise, she’s developing more than friendly feelings towards her.
This movie really nailed the atmosphere of a small town, that’s almost a village, in the middle of nowhere, and I should know, as I grew up in one (true, it wasn’t in Canada or USA, but still) so somehow, this movie took me back to those times where everything was simpler, just for life to start getting complicated. In a way, this movie reminded me a lot of Stand by Me (1986), not because of the story, but mainly the feel of the movie, where the kids are not really kids anymore, but they aren’t adults yet.
That kind of awkward stage, where everything seems to be just so damn confusing, was displayed here really well, plus I can’t imagine how it must feel being a girl and starting to realise you might be attracted to another girl.
This is something the movie deals with very well, I need to say. Because it’s not every day you get a movie about people this young starting to discover they might be gay, so I was slightly afraid of how this might be displayed. Rest assured, it was displayed/handled beautifully.
Porcupine Lake is a movie that perfectly captures those summer days, where you meet somebody new, somebody so unique, so special, you just wish for those days, that are spent exclusively with them, to never end. And is all more crushing once they do, and you need to say a goodbye. You tell yourself, it’s not goodbye forever, right? But deep down, you know, that it probably is.
I honestly wish for this movie to be seen by more people, as you don’t get these anymore – movies that can capture a certain atmosphere, certain time/year period so well, it brings you back, no matter whether you can relate to a girl, whose parents are having a hard time and who’s realising she’s gay. That’s so great about this movie – I honestly believe, to a some extent, it’s something we can all relate to. We all had a Porcupine Lake in our lives, whether we realise it or not. And maybe this movie will remind you of yours.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? If so, congrats! What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke