Film review: Sketch

Helena Judd from Radio Maria writes about the new film, 'Sketch' distributed by Angel Studios:

4 out of 4 stars!

The story follows widower Taylor Wyatt (Tony Hale, in one of his most moving performances) as he prepares to sell the family home while his daughter Amber (Bianca Belle) begins to process her grief through drawing-creating colourful yet haunting monsters that seem to mirror her inner world. Her older brother Jack (Kue Lawrence), always trying to fix things, discovers a mysterious pond behind their house with strange powers. When Amber's sketchbook accidentally falls into it, her imaginative creations spring to life-filling their town with vibrant, mischievous, and sometimes terrifying creatures. As chaos unfolds, Taylor, alongside his sister Liz (D'Arcy Carden), must confront not only the drawings but the grief their family has tried so hard to bury.

As a parent, Sketch really touched me and opened my attitude towards how to support my children as they find different ways to process their emotions and trauma. The careful and delicate approach that Tony Hale, playing the part of Taylor Wyatt (the father), brought to the role was understated and subtle - even more heartbreaking and relatable. The children - Bianca Belle (Amber), Kue Lawrence (Jack), and Kalon Cox (Bowman) - were all very believable, again subtly played, and relatable.

The subject matter is one that is perfect to discuss as a family. This film does what great films and art do - opens a dialogue amongst the audience to discuss more - what drawings would you draw? Indeed, with the addition of the SKETCH app, my family continued exploring the themes of light, joy, and darkness long after we left the cinemas and for days afterwards.

The humour in the film perfectly accompanied the thriller aspect. The director, Seth Worley, took a very Spielberg-approach to this modern "coming of age" film that felt timeless. As a viewer, we would scan the horizon of what was going on, with an excellent score by Cody Fry that brought the intensity to the perfect level for a family to enjoy.

Very much appreciated was how technology was somewhat absent from the film - the kids weren't using real gadgets to fix things. You didn't see them on their phones, playing on the computer, etc. The brief mention of Minecraft was just enough for my son - the drawn diamond sword and silly super gun weapon were a nod more to our imagination's power, not to a need for computers to help. Seeing kids being kids and not glued to their phones, texting one another - that was a huge takeaway that I consciously noticed and appreciated in the film.

The director also blended the worlds of reality and fantasy with the drawings perfectly. The drawings were not too real, but the effects made them real enough to make my son and I jump several times in our seats. I also sat in that area of "will there be a happy ending? Or will something even more traumatic befall our protagonist?" With the subject matter of death handled so delicately and preciously, my mind did think that perhaps another tragedy could occur in this film? Perhaps our heroes would need to overcome another reality of death or loss before the end of the film? These feelings sat with me throughout the film, making me hold tight, tense, and enjoy this thriller in a way I don't often experience when there is never a doubt that the heroes will save the day and all will have a happy ending.

It is strange to think that there can be a happy ending after loss, but as we accompany the characters in the film, we learn that we need to include the sad with the joy.

Here is the link to Radio Maria's discussion and review of Sketch:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LQIB7C57yHuQtjRUaS13p