Starfish (2018)
Written and directed by A.T. White
Starring Virginia Gardener and Christina Masterson
Synopsis: When a mysterious signal from an unknown dimension summons the end of days, it appears as if only Aubrey quickis left on earth. Trapped in the apartment of her recently deceased best friend, the only clue she has is a single cassette left behind after her friend’s death, labeled, "THIS MIXTAPE WILL SAVE THE WORLD." Thrust into a mystery orchestrated by her friend and stricken with grief, Aubrey begins to piece the clues together, uncovering a series of tapes all with pieces of the mystery signal. Along the way, progress is impeded when monstrous creatures begin to overrun the world and close in on her. Aubrey is forced to fight off the encroaching creatures and move beyond her own crippling grief in order to find the remaining tapes and possibly save the world.
Starfish is an examination of grief and the importance of keeping our lost loved ones memory alive. It takes a long hard look at the importance of letting go of guilt and how grief and unhealed trauma can make a person a shell of who they used to be.
Virginia Gardener carries the whole film on her shoulders. Her performance as Aubrey Parker is brave, vulnerable and moving. The scene with her and her best friend Grace Wells (the haunting and beautiful Christina Masterson, who makes the most of very limited screen time) is heartbreaking and affecting. It feels like a conversation I’ve had with friends as well as the little voice in my head that tells me I don’t deserve forgiveness, happiness or love.
As someone who has long struggled with my own guilt and mortality, Starfish really stuck a chord with me. The movie is more than just a heavy emotional drama. It’s also got a wonderful sense of humor, some catchy tunes and some slimy and slithery beasties. Starfish is a film grieving, forgiving yourself, letting go of the past and moving on.
I’ll end things with a quote from Virginia Gardener’s Aubrey Parker "Want to know the saddest thing about everyone being gone? Everybody being dead I mean. All the lost stories. People are going to die anyways, but their stories don’t have to."
Score: 4.5 out of 5.
