OVER/UNDER – Review by Valerie Kalfrin
Over/Under , the second feature from Sophia Silver, is a jewel box of a film. Like the glass jar its characters use to catch “morning moths” to hear their whispered wishes, it captures something precious and delicate about childhood friendships and the awkward cruelties of adolescence.
You might not have ever caught morning moths or heard of such a ritual. Maybe you never spent every summer on the New England beaches, either. You’ll recognize these girls and their growing pains all the same.
At nine, Violet (newcomer Emajean Bullock) and Stella (Anastasia Veronica Lee, Fresh Kills) have the kind of connection that makes their parents smile in wistful recognition. California kids who hang out in New England every summer, the girls hug each other unselfconsciously at the dining table, share a shower or a bed, and make up stories and games on the fly, like where they shout, “Over” and “Under” before jumping up or diving below oncoming waves. Hiding in the dunes, they laugh and cringe at the sights of the nude beach, then find a crab at the shoreline and imagine the house a mermaid might have.
Yet unlike the holes in the jar’s lid that give their moths air, punctures to their world are more subtle. Unexpected. Like the new girl with tank tops and toenail polish like Stella who arrives one summer, making Violet feel awkward in her baggy shorts and practical sandals.
The script by Silver (The Highwaymen ) and Sianni Rosenstock follows the girls loosely over four years, interspersing their summers with happenings at school and home. While not the main focus, their parents each have issues that affect them, making their friendship even more of a haven—that is, until peer pressures inevitably arise. Other girls their age dress and act more grown up, preening to outshine each other with how mature they are, at Violet’s or Stella’s expense. By thirteen, the girls’ rituals are markedly different from making wishes to fluttering moths to start their day, with Violet sharing how to use tampons or kiss a boy—tips Stella readily absorbs while not wanting to leave more whimsical things behind.
Over/Under has an intimate feel, thanks in part to cinematographer Frances Chen, who shoots in natural light, and editor Yu Jung Hou, heightening the subtext with well-placed closeups and fleeting glances. Costume designer Alexandra Johnson and hair and makeup head Dawn Periquito pack a wealth of character into the girls’ evolving looks, from beachy waves and graphic tees to flat-ironed hair and cropped tops.
But none of that would be as affecting without Bullock and Lee, whose naturalized yet nuanced performances add a freshness to each familiar rhythm and betrayal. There’s a guilelessness to their body language, late-night confessions, and unspoken calculations across their faces: wonder and compassion, how much to go along to get along, and the hurt and shame after a cheap shot.
In its tender way, Over/Under makes the case for protecting female friendships in all their vulnerability. Like those moths, good ones are rare, fragile, and something to cherish throughout life’s waves.
