Man, I really wanted to love this hybrid of Diary of a Teenage Girl and How to Build a Girl, but something in Noah Dixon’s script and direction along with Ori Segev just didn’t hit me the way I wanted it to in Poser. Maybe it’s the title of the movie itself that bleeds into their main character to a predictable turn of events that didn’t hit the right way for me, but it had so much potential to be another one of those great coming of age stories, and ended just being another coming of age story.
The movie focuses on Lennon Gates, played by Sylvie Mix, who creates a podcast getting to talk to her musical inspirations and idols, while trying to create her own musical voice. She gets to talk to her idols, learn from them, and become friends with them on some level, and this allows her to break free and create her own musical identity, and her own misguided self identity. Now since she was influenced by everyone around her, and never truly got to form herself on her own, the question has to be begged if the title of the movie bleeds itself into the character a little too much, has she become the poser she never wanted to be.
What works in Poser, is the way the story by Noah Dixon is crafted. It allows the audience to see the energy, perseverance, and obstacles that come into this industry and what it takes to make it, even as a smaller presence. The backdrop of the music scene as well helps tell the story and captivate the audience making us sucked into the storyline and what is happening to the character. As well, the performance from Sylvie Mix works really well as she is relentless and wants everything in her power to make sure she can get her career off to the right start and on the right track.
Where the film succeeds is building up Lennon and focusing on the struggles and what she is going through to get where she wants to be. It also succeeds in having a fantastic score and back drop of a music scene throughout that keeps the audience engaged and captivated. Where the movie struggles is the stakes aren’t there, and there is no driving pressure. With the movie missing that element of suspense and stake, our feelings toward our character cannot be as strong.
