Olympia

This is one of my favorite Chicago films for the drone shots of downtown Chicago alone. I was curious about this film after Nina Metz reviewed it in The Chicago Tribune. I really related to not knowing where you are at in adulthood because regular milestones like marriage and buying a home doesn't apply, and even career wise, there's an entrepreneurial spirit and changing careers so instead of a lateral view, there's all sorts of roads in people's careers. I love how perfectly McKenzie Chinn (the writer and star) captured this.

Hated it. Not sure if it was just really bad direction or bad acting. Actress playing title character was awful in that her character was unsympathetic and stupid. Black women; particularly artist cannot be so inarticulate and devoid of passion. Best part of movie was drawings and Chicago scenes. Soundtrack was awful and irrelevant to screen action. What a waste of time and electricity! I feel robbed.

This is the second film I have seen with McKenzie Chinn (Animator being the other), and I have to say that McKenzie has real depth and potency to her acting ability. As an artist myself, I sense that she too is an artist, aside from acting of course, and I say this because like, say, a painter, she works with and "melds color" on canvas as well as she conveys emotion on screen. This film made my spirit feel buoyant as I watched it, and overall I enjoyed the "film journey" I made with the main characters. The music was spot on, and the cinematography and directing was sharp, smooth, and had "the real feel." Finally, as an added bonus, I got to see my home town of Chicago shine on screen.

Great movie just really enjoyed having people that look like me in this Genre! We acted and written!

If you are looking for a film that's a little low on good plot and deep meaningful characters, but is filled with weird artsy fartsy things that seem out of place, this is the one. If you like movies that show you that you don't have to be very good at something to be considered great these days, and if you have a kinda confusing life, and struggle to think for yourself, you might absolutely love this movie.

I wasn't impressed at all with the film. The movie jumped around in ways that made the already tedious plot a little hard to follow. The main character seemed a bit void of actual personality most of the time, and had too little chemistry with her boyfriend who clearly could do better. This is despite his off key crooning, which as he was supposed to be a musician, I'm uncertain why he was cast for this role. I do think that other than the terrible singing, his acting wasn't too bad, but the role needed a good singer with some level of chemistry with the main character.

As a low budget independent film, it wasn't terrible. I just think it could have been much better. The main character needed way more depth and personality. The stoty needed to be more clearly written. The artist things were interesting, giving it a unique look; but, as they were confusing, it ended up being a distraction rather than a benefit.