GGGP is a well-made low-budget independent film at it's best. A good script, as is usually the case by indie filmmaker and San Franciscan JP Allen, combined with pretty cinematography, especially of San Francisco, good directing, acting, editing... keeps the interesting story moving along.
13 Reviews
Thinking about it after the movie
betsy-4528019 November 2021
I enjoy a movie even more when I think about it for days later. Girl in Golden Gate Park has various intriguing plot twists that had kept me pondering throughout the evening and into my week when I first saw it online last year. It's not a simple movie, but full of rich images of San Francisco, lovely close ups of emotion (or lack there of) and an appealing sound track. It's enigmatic, mysterious and can be quite tense with the character development. When I was finally able to see it "on the big screen" the beautiful cinematography was more appreciated. I'm equally impressed with the concise and natural dialog J P Allen creates for all of his small group of supporting players. It's certainly timely to review loss and revenge in this time of misplacement and grief for so many people trying to live in a proper home. I enjoy a story that's so good at making me dislike even the face of the "bad guy" and looking forward to their demise. It's not a subject that some story lines can easily achieve. Cheering for the lost and despondent person(s) takes some creativity in well developed characters. I'm impressed with the choices of all actors helping procure such a beautiful story of truth and lessons learned.
It's a good time to binge watch all of Allan's Coffee and Language films. Girl in Golden Gate Park is so far my favorite, but so have all of his films....they keep changing themes with unpredictable outcomes.
It's a good time to binge watch all of Allan's Coffee and Language films. Girl in Golden Gate Park is so far my favorite, but so have all of his films....they keep changing themes with unpredictable outcomes.
Indie Movie, My Foot. It's a classic.
wjgrayson22 November 2021
Strong performances. A real sense of real San Francisco. Stunning visuals. Well worth the time and emotional investment to watch the story unfold. But the true hero of the story is always, if it's a JP Allen movie, the backdrop of San Francisco. JP's blood runs thick with the lifeblood of The City flowing though his veins, and sees the City as no other filmmaker.
a beautiful cinematic ode to San Francisco
ohsosillyone22 November 2021
Cult Indie Material
apprecilove21 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I totally enjoyed this one. It's a slower-paced Indie movie where San Francisco, especially Golden Gate Park, is another character and stands for everything that is home. It has SO many beautiful, poetic and artsy scenes! It's also cleverly suspenseful, with the main girl going after a corporate woman for revenge. Very cool to see. And then there was this mysteriously charismatic thief woman. I loved that the main characters, all women, are not boringly black and white, or all perfect or all evil, just human. And awesome in a sort of rough on the outside, soft on the inside kind of way. The movie is spot on in exposing the corporate greed that caused exorbitant rent prices and eviction. It explores the modern homelessness in expensive areas like San Francisco, where lots of people are homeless without looking it. Plus, it's trendy with the main characters being two Asian woman who fall in love. There is a uniquely stylized love scene. The music is amazing as well. About half way through I was, I NEED that soundtrack. I hope it comes out! In the end, "Girl in Golden Gate Park" is about home is where the memories are. SO nice.
Check this out...
friscoflan23 November 2021
As someone who lives 4 blocks from GG Park, I would have enjoyed this film just for the visuals alone. It's that magical a place, and the film does a marvelous job of showing it.
Needless to say, there's a gripping story, solid soundtrack and cinematography, and good acting, as well. It's a quiet movie, for the most part, that sneaks up on you with some unsettling goings-on.
Kudos to the writer/director, and the entire crew of this unique indie.
Needless to say, there's a gripping story, solid soundtrack and cinematography, and good acting, as well. It's a quiet movie, for the most part, that sneaks up on you with some unsettling goings-on.
Kudos to the writer/director, and the entire crew of this unique indie.
Great. Touching poignant and beautiful
dlucasdp22 November 2021
Wow. Was pretty blown away. For what seems a simple indie movie this has legs and class for miles. Not only was it repeatedly stunning but the pacing and characterization was excellent. Not the usual indie but something much more skilled and sophisticated. Suspenseful, Poignant and moving while keeping a nice quirky sense of humor. Really not what I was expecting. You should watch this.
A bittersweet love story to San Francisco
debthekid12 February 2021
When I moved here 30 plus years ago I was awestruck by the the beauty of Golden Gate Park. I moved here in December and to experience the exotic lushness after only knowing Central Park or Boston Common as my touchstones seemed...well the difference was otherworldly, I was totally enchanted. But beautiful as it was it was it was hard for me to establish roots as there was a recession and jobs were difficult to come by. Having ridden that rollercoaster and survived I have an enormous appreciation for this poetic piece by J.P. Allen, writer, director and Cathy Montosa his life partner and producer in simultaneously evoking a place and a time in conflict. A beautiful place where we feel, we know we belong but fate and circumstances are conspiring against us. To incorporate such stunning imagery with a suspenseful storyline is an achievement. All 3 women deliver Bravero performances or is that bravera because I think the establishing of 3 female main characters was a brave stroke of genius. I especially appreciated the special attention to the sound track, it added so much to feel of the film. A lovely thought provoking film. This is what independent film is all about,
Great Movie!
Allenswim21 November 2021
The acting was superb, the cinematography was stunning, and the storyline was compelling!
I found myself rooting out loud for our heroine.
Girl in Golden Gate Park was overall, a great time.
The film was more than just escapist entertainment, it also dealt with the very relevant issue of wealth inequality which is at epidemic proportions in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.
I found myself rooting out loud for our heroine.
Girl in Golden Gate Park was overall, a great time.
The film was more than just escapist entertainment, it also dealt with the very relevant issue of wealth inequality which is at epidemic proportions in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.
A Timely Tale: Very Real Life issues and Emotions
Jane815 February 2021
I watched this with a couple of room-mates that are new to the city, whereas I have lived in SF for almost three decades.
I have unfortunately felt the pain of eviction and currently worry about loosing my current home as well after loosing my job due to the pandemic.
So I can attest to the fact that the issues and emotions at play in this film really felt authentic and connective. And the lovely imagery has inspired me to visit golden gate park more.
My roomies struggled a bit. It made for a long substantive discussion about the state of SF's housing crisis and inspired my room mates to donate to a couple of local non-profits. It really opened their eyes.
It's so beautifully moving!
I have unfortunately felt the pain of eviction and currently worry about loosing my current home as well after loosing my job due to the pandemic.
So I can attest to the fact that the issues and emotions at play in this film really felt authentic and connective. And the lovely imagery has inspired me to visit golden gate park more.
My roomies struggled a bit. It made for a long substantive discussion about the state of SF's housing crisis and inspired my room mates to donate to a couple of local non-profits. It really opened their eyes.
It's so beautifully moving!
A great, unique film!
missraze20 January 2023
...Now...I'll start off by saying:
It's clear the reviews from Feb 2021 and Nov 2021--are fake. Well they're certainly nepotistic. It's great to have a support system, but don't put a raving review just because the filmmaker is your personal friend/relative/business partner. I know you guys put effort into this film (I can tell, to be honest) but don't b.s. Your reviews. When people start catching wind of the film and see this, it'll look bad.
Anywho.
I'll minus one star for the blatantly fake reviews. But everything about the film was great. I truly am inspired by the local imagery; they look very similar to the quaint, mountainous suburbs of Japan, with gray yet clear skies, the boldest green foliage and forestry, minimalist yet modern architecture, and vividly colored wardrobes against the muted background. They were genius to have Erin Mei Ling Stuart wear that lively blue peacoat since the film is very gray and quiet.
Another thing, Stuart needs more films. She's phenomenal. Her face is strong and her body is poetic--and her haircut and tattoos are cool. It's so rare to see an Asian American in a film, and one that isn't about martial arts, too. We see Asian foreign nationals with accents (which is fine) but there needs to be more stories told through fiction feature length films about Asians in the Bay Area, LA, etc. I'm sure they have so many stories to tell, even if it's not necessarily about BEING ASIAN. There's a lot of documentaries and short films about it, but where are the feature length films? (I'm not Asian, by the way, just incredibly bored with Hollywood).
Now as far as the plot, it's very stripped down and simple, and I think that's why people rate it poorly. I guess the Asian perspective on gentrification in San Francisco is underappreciated (Asian women DO typically make the highest income in the USA, so a story about one of them being/becoming homeless might be an eyeroller, and the humbly budgeted nature of the film and simplicity of the premise might be a yawn fest too.) But I dug it.
The only issue I have is: I'm not quite sure if the outcome of the film is what they were going for. It starts off with her doing a bootcamp-esque warm up in the woods, and edgy rock music that delivered an empty promise of kick-a** girl power revenge. That the main character was going to be a force to be reckoned with. She KIND OF was. Yet, the film progressed and finished anti-climactically. Not quite sure why she was training in the woods like Rocky. She didn't actually fight anyone lol and her character is rather subdued. She enlists (or twists the arm of) another Asian woman to enact revenge on the wealthy white woman who made her homeless in an everchanging city by literally gentrifying the apartment she was living in with her ailing father. There was a lot of talking, not much action (that's not going to go over well with viewers usually), but I really like the way Erin talks so it was ok. She is clearly a seasoned thespian who can handle the verbosity of a script. She could read the nutrition label on a box of popcorn and it would be great. (I'm not her; I am a genuine viewer who doesn't know any of the people in this film.)
At the end of the day, however, this is a great film. It's clearly unique because if you search it up on Google, for instance, there are no suggested similar films. The algorithm (on my end) draws a blank. So there really needs to be more movies like this, with an Asian-AMERICAN LEAD cast and these beautiful visuals, atmospheric aesthetics, and a great soundtrack from the cool female indie rockers to the relaxing electric nu-jazz that is nostalgic to strolling through a big city park on a Sunday. I'm a New Yorker and I want to explore this little town now, just because of this film, that much is true.
Keep making films about Californian reality, hire Erin Mei Ling Stuart for all of them, and don't lie about your reviews, peeps.
It's clear the reviews from Feb 2021 and Nov 2021--are fake. Well they're certainly nepotistic. It's great to have a support system, but don't put a raving review just because the filmmaker is your personal friend/relative/business partner. I know you guys put effort into this film (I can tell, to be honest) but don't b.s. Your reviews. When people start catching wind of the film and see this, it'll look bad.
Anywho.
I'll minus one star for the blatantly fake reviews. But everything about the film was great. I truly am inspired by the local imagery; they look very similar to the quaint, mountainous suburbs of Japan, with gray yet clear skies, the boldest green foliage and forestry, minimalist yet modern architecture, and vividly colored wardrobes against the muted background. They were genius to have Erin Mei Ling Stuart wear that lively blue peacoat since the film is very gray and quiet.
Another thing, Stuart needs more films. She's phenomenal. Her face is strong and her body is poetic--and her haircut and tattoos are cool. It's so rare to see an Asian American in a film, and one that isn't about martial arts, too. We see Asian foreign nationals with accents (which is fine) but there needs to be more stories told through fiction feature length films about Asians in the Bay Area, LA, etc. I'm sure they have so many stories to tell, even if it's not necessarily about BEING ASIAN. There's a lot of documentaries and short films about it, but where are the feature length films? (I'm not Asian, by the way, just incredibly bored with Hollywood).
Now as far as the plot, it's very stripped down and simple, and I think that's why people rate it poorly. I guess the Asian perspective on gentrification in San Francisco is underappreciated (Asian women DO typically make the highest income in the USA, so a story about one of them being/becoming homeless might be an eyeroller, and the humbly budgeted nature of the film and simplicity of the premise might be a yawn fest too.) But I dug it.
The only issue I have is: I'm not quite sure if the outcome of the film is what they were going for. It starts off with her doing a bootcamp-esque warm up in the woods, and edgy rock music that delivered an empty promise of kick-a** girl power revenge. That the main character was going to be a force to be reckoned with. She KIND OF was. Yet, the film progressed and finished anti-climactically. Not quite sure why she was training in the woods like Rocky. She didn't actually fight anyone lol and her character is rather subdued. She enlists (or twists the arm of) another Asian woman to enact revenge on the wealthy white woman who made her homeless in an everchanging city by literally gentrifying the apartment she was living in with her ailing father. There was a lot of talking, not much action (that's not going to go over well with viewers usually), but I really like the way Erin talks so it was ok. She is clearly a seasoned thespian who can handle the verbosity of a script. She could read the nutrition label on a box of popcorn and it would be great. (I'm not her; I am a genuine viewer who doesn't know any of the people in this film.)
At the end of the day, however, this is a great film. It's clearly unique because if you search it up on Google, for instance, there are no suggested similar films. The algorithm (on my end) draws a blank. So there really needs to be more movies like this, with an Asian-AMERICAN LEAD cast and these beautiful visuals, atmospheric aesthetics, and a great soundtrack from the cool female indie rockers to the relaxing electric nu-jazz that is nostalgic to strolling through a big city park on a Sunday. I'm a New Yorker and I want to explore this little town now, just because of this film, that much is true.
Keep making films about Californian reality, hire Erin Mei Ling Stuart for all of them, and don't lie about your reviews, peeps.
Noir film hits Home.
mindware014 February 2021
Deeply touching and suspenseful. A homeless women hangs onto her life in San Francisco by her fingernails as Developers displace and price families out of the city. She makes a deep connection with a new friend that agrees to help her in her attempt to balance the scales. Absolutely captivating as Golden Gate Park becomes a character that aids and nourishes the lead characters.
Update 6/6/2022: This lovely film is getting star attacked for some reason, so don't believe the star ratings and judge for yourself.
Update 6/6/2022: This lovely film is getting star attacked for some reason, so don't believe the star ratings and judge for yourself.
Meditative and Beautiful
rdelduca-034825 February 2021
Compelling from the first shot to the last. Love the slow pacing, the meditative cuts from gorgeous shot to gorgeous shot. A tribute to underdogs, to Golden Gate Park, and quirky protagonists you fall in love with. Artistic and a lovely change of tone/style from "mainstream" cinema. Authentic and raw in the sparse writing and especially the two femaale leads.
See also
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