The Restrained Girl

What happens when you create a little story and feature restrained acting that is not in-your-face? Sometimes it can be a real formula for success, but not this time. Bradley Rust Gray's, "The Exploding Girl" is far from a failure. At times it is almost captivating, but even a small story needs a little bit of oomph, else you are left with an event that more exists than flourishes.

Ivy (Zoe Kazan, the granddaughter of Elia) is a college student home for Spring Break. Her longtime buddy, Al (Mark Rendall), shows up needing a place to stay, so Ivy and her mom welcome him in. It's all without tension and conflict because of the length of their friendly relationships.

Ivy has a boyfriend that she talks to by phone but we immediately can tell that he is not interested in continuing, even if it is not crystal clear to Ivy. Al is a total free agent and is meeting and playing with other young ladies. Since there is no sexual tension between the two students, it's not a problem.

Ivy's bigger problem is that she has epilepsy, hence the title of the film. But her problem doesn't undercut her quality of life or at least it doesn't overwhelm it. Gray makes sure to underplay the epilepsy angle, though, to the point that we have no particular feelings about the situation. It appears to be off to the side of the central story. The problem is that there is no central story that captures us. Ivy is not sad or happy or depressed or perplexed or really a whole lot of anything. She is gliding. I suppose the point is to underplay it and to create a muted tension, but if there is a tension I missed it. She is a very well-adjusted young lady.

At the conclusion, romance is in the air but doesn't fully resonate. It just is. Everything just is in Zoe's life. While "The Exploding Girl" does have a quality to it, it never explodes.