Busgirl Review
If there's one thing Busgirl gets right, it's discomfort.
For the first 20 minutes, I was uncomfortable with the movie's direction, or lack thereof. A continual cycle of our protagonist, Keira (Jessie)'s quirks is basically the first act of the film, and after a while, it appears the film may be heading to an unfocused mess. Things slightly improve with the arrival of Josh (Stephen Steelman), who you could argue is the film's antagonist -- and Keira's extroverted, drug-loving boyfriend. At first, like Keira, you find him immediately likable, a sweetheart. He charms his way into her house and her heart -- and, finally, the film's compass finds the path it wants the movie to go down. By the time there's dinner with mother, the movie has drastically improved the sense of purpose it has and heads towards a conclusion thoughtfully, if not with a couple of clichs along the way. However, the film succeeds very well at giving you a look at the world through the eyes of someone who wasn't ever comfortable in a small town, and to whom the big city's isolation doesn't quite fit. This, and the no-budget charm the film carries -- the subway shots are always with the least amount of people in the station as possible, almost as though the crew only feels safe shooting then, when and where the cops won't look -- keeps your interest much more than, say, any Michael Bay movie since The Rock.
In a way, this is as perfect a role for a first-time actress as one can get. Occassionally you can see the nervousness of Jessie peek through in scenes; thankfully, the way she's filled the character out is in tune with those nerves; a little bit of overacting here and there doesn't detract enough to pull you out of the movie. Steelman's charm weighs a bit heavy, as it begins to be what he leans on as his character becomes more and more of a dick; it doesn't totally gel. Several strong supporting roles hold the movie up in the meantime, though.
Reminiscent of segments of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, tweaked with the isolation of Ghost World, Busgirl remains something a bit enigmatic; for a first-time feature from director Steven Schuldt, though, it's strong. Is it as powerful a debut as Sex, Lies, And Videotape or Reservoir Dogs? Of course not. The fact that those came across are miracles of debut filmmaking. What Busgirl is actually applies also to the title character; it falls a little short, but you have to give it admiration for going gung-ho into the ether and making a push for it. Keeping an eye on those involved may pay off major dividends someday.