By Keeva Stratton
This is a fantastic film. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a high school drama with the maturity and originality to capture the attention of any age group, and is seriously worth the price of admission.
Greg (Thomas Mann) is the titular ‘me’, and it’s his story that’s being told. Rather than face rejection, he believes the best way to survive his final years of high school is to be friendly to everyone, yet friends with no one. And it works for a while.
Greg makes short spoof films with Earl (RJ Cyler), who he’s known since primary school; but refers to Earl as a co-worker rather than a friend, in keeping with his dedication to distance. But when a girl in his year is diagnosed with cancer, on his mum’s insistence Greg must break his self-imposed rule and become friends with her.
Rachel (Olivia Cooke) is that girl, and she’s anything but open to having a pity friend. The two strike up a bargain to hang out for just one day together; enough time to alleviate the nagging of Greg’s mother. As this day unspools, however, Greg and Rachel click; and their ‘doomed friendship’, as he puts it, begins.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a stand-out film. It captures the varying emotions of high school, the need for acceptance, and the heartbreaking challenges of facing mortality at a young age. In using the short spoof films that Greg and Earl make to leaven the heaviness of the plot with humour, we also really get to know each of them. It’s a clever device, and a welcome shout-out to the film nerds in the audience.
Unlike many teen films, not one stereotype or cliché applies here. It’s an intelligent, heartfelt and genuinely moving story, carried along by some sublime filmmaking and a talented cast. The smaller roles have a big impact, with wonderful performances by Jon Bernthal, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon, and even a small cameo by Hugh Jackman.
If this is the future of cinema, then we as viewers have much to look forward to. Be ready to laugh and cry, as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a film that has mastered the art of connecting with its audience and creating poignant—even poetic—cinema.
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke
Rating: PG
Runtime: 105mins
Release Date: 3 September
Reviewer rating: 5/5
