Jamie Dack’s “Palm Trees and Power Lines” was the most controversial movie of last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and it’s being released in theaters next Friday.
Dack dares you to not look away at this unflinching story of a 17-year-old girl’s relationship with a sketchy man more than twice her age. Her name is Lea (Lily McInerny) and she spends the summer tanning in the backyard with her best friend, avoiding her miserable mother, and getting stoned with school friends. The vibes get disrupted when she meets Tom (Jonathan Tucker), an older man who promises her a good time.
To say more would ruin the dramatic surprises that occur in this provocative film. It’ll surely be one of the hardest watches you’ll have this year. McInerny, in her stunning acting debut, delivers organic nuance to her role; you’re not watching actress, but a fully fleshed Lea instead.
Dack knows this kind of story could easily veer towards exploitation, but she doesn’t flinch in the realism — the film grows more tense with every scene. There are hints of Eliza Hittman’s gut-punching and solemn dramas. However Dack, who won the Sundance directing prize for her fearless work, has found her own voice and is one of the true filmmaking finds of the year. [B+]