Spring

Spring is yet another entry into the over-crowded subgenre of coming of age queer romances. It’s even got some atmospheric visual flair! Ironically, Spring only stands out from the crowd in how it fits in so well with the trends. Spring is borderline remarkable simply because of how unremarkable it is.

The film follows your pretty basic teen WLW film plot. We’ve got a quiet girl and a new girl who has interesting hair. Our quiet girl is Tyler. Tyler is played by the film’s writer/director, Alexandra Swarens. The new girl is Rose. Technically, Rose isn’t even new. She and Tyler went to elementary school together before Rose moved to England. Rose’s memories of her childhood and of Tyler are scattered. But in the present, she and Tyler find connection and romance together.

Do I start with the positives or negatives first? I guess I’ll start with the positives because regrettably, there’s less of them. The strongest and most notable element of Spring is its visuals. Particularly the lighting. Scenes of girls hanging out are bathed in pink. Tyler and Rose spends many a golden hour together, bathed in warm light. They take a trip to the beach and experience vibrant blues meeting the sun’s warm glow. It’s a very pretty looking film. Lighting seems to be a priority here. It is a notable factor in every scene. Swarens and the film’s cinematographer, Grant Bell show some real talent in this department. The look of Spring is strong and well-realized.

But within this beautifully-lit world, the characters are seriously flat. Tyler especially goes way beyond quiet girl. The film introduces her and then switches over to introduce Rose. When it finally cuts back to Tyler, I’d already almost forgotten her. Tyler seriously fades into the background. This remains true throughout the film. Even when she and Rose bond which allows Tyler to open and and be seen, she’s still extraordinarily bland. Knowing that Swarens wrote, directed and starred in the film, I was surprised to learn she played Tyler. This is the first time I’ve seen a creator cast them self as such an unremarkable lead character.

Rose is more notable than Tyler, but not particularly distinct either. Nothing about either of these leads feels like they’re characters I could only find in Spring. Rose and Tyler are stock teen drama leads I’ve seen any number of times. It’s not particularly thrilling to spend time with them. They lack a level of depth or authenticity which would foster personal connection. And their conversations are not nearly as profound as the girls assume themselves to be. This makes them realistic to teenagers, perhaps. But it doesn’t make it interesting to watch.

Spring gets points for the look of the film. I can see how much effort went into the lighting of the film, and I appreciate it. But a nice look is not enough. Spring features some pretty dull characters. And nothing about it, not even the good lighting makes it a unique film. I’ve seen so many well-lit generic teen dramas already in my time. This one won’t be one I remember particularly well. In a subgenre where I so often describe individual films as being middling, Spring is particularly middling.

Overall rating: 5.1/10

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