lauren
Directed by Jaclyn Bethany
Written by Jaclyn Bethany
Starring Belle Aykroyd, Greta Bellamacina, Stella Baker, Ivy George, Bailey Edwards, Marié Botha, Juliette Labelle, Aisha Fabienne Ross
World Premiere
Highway One takes place in Cambria focusing on a group of millennials for a New Year’s Eve party thrown by Anna and her sister at their parent’s vacation home.
The majority of the main characters went to high school together and seemed to have stayed in contact except for one friend. Nina left high school for New York and in the past ten years appeared to have thrived in the theatre world. She makes an appearance at the party that sends Maria, her childhood friend, into a deep exploration of her feelings for Nina and their past friendship.
The film flitters back and forth between characters and the superficial or deep drama they appear to be going through that evening. One character is having an affair with her professor, one is realizing he’s gay but is dating a woman, another was just dumped. A few of the characters had some funny lines and realizations but most of them were a bit insufferable.
The majority of the film takes place at the same party but tends to center on Maria and her infrequent narration. The end has a bit of a twist that leaves the viewer wondering if Maria’s narration was fully accurate the whole time.
We did hope to see a bit more setting and scenery. Perhaps we’re biased and love views of the Central Coast but it’s a unique and small town that the film could have included a few more shots, although the Madonna Inn did make a short appearance.
Overall the film had some good performances for up-and-coming actors that we’ll probably see in bigger projects soon.
The 36th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, presented by UGG, will take place March 31st through April 10th, 2021 online and at two free ocean-front drive-in theatres. More information, festival passes and tickets are available at.
Millennials I’m learning how to spell millennial.