Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

I can say unflinchingly, without a single waver in my voice that this is the best new release I've seen this year. Truth be told, I have not seen a whole lot of new films this year, buy even if I had, Me, Early and the Dying Girl would be the best by far.

The title in itself exudes a quirkiness that continues in a steady stream throughout the film. The same quirks can be found in our main protagonist the self-proclaimed awkward, pale, rodent-faced high school senior Greg (Thomas Mann). He's gone through high school with the mission of ingratiating himself to all and befriending no one. At this point in his high school career the closest thing he has to a friend is Earl, who he simply considers his "co-worker" since they develop parody short films together (ie. A Box of 'Lip Wow). That's another thing. Greg is obsessed with film: He eats up anything from Werner Herzog or The Archers thanks to the influence of his father (Nick Offerman). His other "friend" is the chill history teacher Mr. McCarty with an office that is the lunchtime oasis for Greg. But that's about it.

That is until his doting mother (Connie Britton) forces him to go visit a girl who has been diagnosed with Leukemia. It's a very forced scenario and both Greg and Rachel know it right from the get go. They haven't even hardly talked since kindergarten. But despite that the two of them hit it off and Greg begins this doomed relationship with this dying girl.

The next 209 odd days or so Greg navigates this friendship and all that goes with it while also developing a film for Rachel on the urging of the classmate that he is infatuated with. But do not get me wrong, this film does not fall into some contrived love triangle or sordid high school drama. It has a far broader more mature scope than that.

Yes, this is a high school teen film. Yes, it is a coming of age story, but it boasts so much more. It's a film about films, a film about friendship, a film about regret, and most importantly a film about what it means to be alive. And yet it all the while tries to side step the normal tropes we expect.

Greg and Rachel have two very different perspectives. Two very different lots in life, but somewhere in between all that of that, amidst the fear, laughter, and even anger they find some special connections.

There is so much to appreciate about the film and for me it starts with the character of Greg, because in someways he was in many ways analogous to me in high school. I two was a nomad who traveled from group to group never being fully known. I found a passion for film and slowly began to learn about Kurosawa and Bergman among others. It was not until senior year where I finally began to feel comfortable in my own shoes and that was the perfect time for a new adventure in college. Thus, I resonate with Greg, because although he is certainly not me he's the most relevant high school character I have seen in a long while.

As for Connie Britton and Nick Offerman, both of them have some nice scenes that add a lot to this story. One as the over involved mom who generally cares and the other as a free spirit of a dad who likes exotic food, bohemian garb, and art-house, not to mention the family feline Cat Stevens.

With great films it is always difficult to pin them down, and the same can be said for this one. It has an awareness of film history that is unequivocally refreshing and unheard of for a genre potentially aimed at teenagers during the summer months. It has its own heartfelt crescendo that in some respects reminded me of Cinema Paradiso. In all other facets it works beautifully as a teen dramedy and it does a better job in that niche than most. Miraculously it couples humor and quirks with touching notes that are relevant to the hear and now while also somehow being universal.

I look forward to seeing it again sometime soon!