Go For Grandma
Rating: 4.5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
At first, from the promotional images and reading the synopsis for Sabrina Doyle's short film, Go For Grandma, I was expecting a family-friendly tale about a young boy (Austin Schoenfeld) escaping everyday life through imaginary scenarios with his grandma (Amy Madigan). However, when the movie really started going and we started to explore this traumatic home-life our character Lucian goes through, the movie surprised me in how director Sabrina Doyle and screenwriter Lucian Nakazato-Patterson was able to use this unique idea for this sort of film to really place the viewer in the shoes of the young boy, which was inspired by the life of Nakazato-Patterson. The movie does a great job of getting through to the viewer, showing them this horrendous life that many children around the world have, and how they cope with the abuse and stress they go through. Accompanied by great performances from Schoenfeld, Madigan, and Justine Lupe, who plays the mom, this is not only a fantastic picture that explores the psyche of a young child going through abuse, but also about showcasing those who are there for them no matter what.
The movie opens with Lucian complaining he is hungry, which his mom decides to make him feel bad for feeling this way openly in public. What the viewer comes to find out, however, is that the mom has been neglecting her child due to depression and self-destructive behaviors, forcing the child to practically fend for himself. His only saving graces are his grandma and his very active imagination, trying to make his life just a little bit easier every single day. I think the reason why the story works so well here is it is written by someone who has gone through such events and abuse, and Nakazato-Patterson is able to put the viewer into Lucian's shoes to see how he is going through life. This is reflected through scenes where he is imagining the world around him being much brighter and whimsical than it actually is. The inclusion of these fantastical elements does a great job of furthering the plot and show how the child views his mom. A scene I especially want to point out is the climatic showdown between Lucian and his mother, which shows them engulfed in a powerful storm, representing the raging tension between the two. Not only does Nakazato-Patterson do a fantastic job of penning this deep and reflective screenplay, but the imagination behind it all really sells the message of what he is trying to say. The only thing I would want from this story is to perhaps expand a little more on these complex dynamics and relationships between the three characters. We touch briefly on some of the aspects that make them feel estranged, but I would have really wanted to go more in-depth there.
At the same time, Madigan, Schoenfeld, and Lupe are all fantastic in their respective performances. Madigan is wonderful as the amazing grandma who simply wants the best for her grandson. She may not have made the best choices or decisions when her daughter was younger, but she wants to be there for her grandson. Her performance oozes this desire of wanting to make sure he is safe and fed, and Madigan is such a wonderful choice for this role. The same can be said for Schoenfeld, as this young performer is great in this role he is given. This is an incredibly heavy role he has to pull off as a young performer, and he does so greatly. However, I want to heavily compliment Lupe here as she is simply despicable in this role. As a viewer, we hate this character and what she is doing to our young protagonist, but there are such layers and psychological turmoil within this character that makes her seem so interesting. Lupe was an amazing choice to bring this character alive from the screenplay, and it makes me wonder how much of a role Nakazato-Patterson had when it came to shooting and bringing this mother-figure to life.
In terms of the film presented on the screen, Doyle does a lovely job translating this screenplay and bringing it to life. There is that dedication and heartfelt dedication to telling this story and showing that characters like Lucian matter in both film and the real world. The film is incredibly moving and tugs at the viewer's heartstrings, allowing them to emphasize with our main character incredibly easy. This movie works by setting up this character and story that is trying to bring awareness to traumatic childhoods thousands of kids go through, and showing how they aren't alone.
Go For Grandma surprised me in the best way possible. While I thoroughly enjoy movies for families, I applaud the filmmakers and everyone involved in taking this sort of dark and complex story and bringing it a breath of fresh air and new life. This is such a unique way to tell this tale, and I think Nakazato-Patterson does a fantastic job of displaying his mindset and imagination when he was going through these incredibly tough times. This film felt like we were right alongside the child, taking the abuse and trying to imagine a better world for ourselves. That's how you know the film did its job correctly.
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