Princess Cyd

This is not going to be my best review. I kept forgetting to take notes while watching Princess Cyd. I was too busy being actually engaged by the movie.

Princess Cyd follows the teenage Cyd as she spends part of the summer with her aunt Miranda in Chicago. Miranda is a novelist. The two have not seen each other in about nine years, since the funeral for Cyd’s mother. Miranda and Cyd bond but not without some awkwardness that comes from the fact that they are very different people with different priorities and interests. Additionally, Cyd meets a girl named Katie with whom she begins a romance.

Princess Cyd is an unusually paced and plotted movie. It feels a lot more like a piece of literary fiction than a film. Its priorities are on style and character rather than plot points. I was surprised to see that writer/director Stephen Cone isn’t himself a novelist given the structure of the movie and how much discussion of literature and features in the film. I can certainly see how this focus on character over plot might not appeal to some. Even positive reviews of the film admit it’s hard to distill what the film is “about.” But because Cone is such a talented writer and filmmaker, I really enjoyed the structure of the film. More than following a plot, every scene is more about providing you information or a new perspective on its lead characters. And every scene does indeed add something to their characterization. I really love that.

The screenplay for this movie and its realization onscreen is really masterful. Every word, every sentence feels so deliberate yet so natural when said by the actors. Beyond the words, the timing of them is also exceptional. Sometimes characters talk over each other and sentences go unfinished. Sometimes there are very laden silences. Ever word and every silence feels meticulous and helps craft the lead characters into exceptionally real-feeling people.

Rounding out the talent in Princess Cyd is the acting. Rebecca Spence as Miranda and Jessie Pinnick as Cyd are exceptional both together and apart. The dialogue scenes between the two of them are the strongest parts of the movie. I want to particularly champion Jessie Pinnick, though. She’s a young actress who apparently isn’t even famous enough yet to have a picture on her IMDb page. Pinnick gives an astounding performance. Despite not having a huge amount of credits to her name easily manages to shoulder being the main character in this film. She is incredibly engaging and watchable. Pinnick absolutely deserves to be cast in large roles and larger movies based on this performance. She showed and incredible amount of talent.

Princess Cyd’s unusual style and sheer talent from all aspects of filmmaking makes this a very unique and special film. I really enjoyed spending 96 minutes with these increasingly realized characters. When the film was over, I felt happy and sad all at once for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I think Princess Cyd is going to be a movie that stays with me. I really, really liked it. It’s an incredibly good film that I certainly recommend.

Overall rating: 8.8/10

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