The screenshots in this post were taken directly from the movie by me.
I must admit that I spent a considerable portion of this movie preparing to write a negative review, being unable to understand what "My Old Ass" really wanted to convey to us.
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And while Megan Park's film has an interesting enough premise to hook the viewer, the execution and aesthetics surrounding it had left me a little confused, preparing me for a comedy with shades of a coming of age story that never came, since in exchange we got something so much better.
See, starring Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, "My Old Ass" tells us the story of Elliot, an 18-year-old girl who, after having consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms, ends up running into her 39-year-old self, for this reason she decides to start questioning her, trying to find a way to lead the best life possible in the future.
From a narrative point of view, there is nothing particularly innovative in this synopsis, which along with other narrative resources such as time travel has been used on countless occasions to tell stories of all kinds: comedies, horror stories, science fiction, etc.
What makes My Old Ass stand out is that the use of the "older" version of Elliot is nothing more than a booster to bring home the true message of the film: how bittersweet the passage of time usually is how many times the best we can do is to just enjoy what we are currently living.
Instead of forcing conflicts or extracting humorous gags, My Old Ass focuses on making us live with the young Elliot, who is shown as an intelligent and innocent girl who is just beginning to understand the world, and who far from being corrected must accept the good and bad things of life, which will eventually turn her into the older Elliot.
It's a conformist film in the best sense of the word, embracing the inconsistent nature of our existence and accepting that triumphs and mistakes are essential to our process. It celebrates young love and evokes an indescribable nostalgia.
A solid and touching film that might be a little disconcerting at first but will leave us totally enthralled by the end.
Score taken from my Letterboxd account.
Twitter/Instagram/Letterbox: Alxxssss
