I was recently treated to one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of the year, with the August 19 premiere of the completely teen-made feature-length drama film, “Cracked.” The film, shown at Atlanta’s Plaza Theatre, follows a teenage boy named Zander (played by Cobe Bugni) and his friend Kendall (played by Jordan-Paige Sudduth). The two troubled teens share a very strong friendship, but it is soon put to the test when Zander starts dating a girl named Rosemary (played by Amanda Villa) and begins to abandon Kendall, who needs him more than ever. From here, an emotional and quirky joyride follows as our characters face challenges, make new friends and ultimately discover just what their friendship truly means.
The fact that teens were able to make a full length feature film (at 1 hour and 17 minutes) is pretty mind-blowing on its own. Jordan-Paige Sudduth, a sophomore at South Forsyth High School, writes, directs and stars as Kendall — and manages to succeed on just about every level. It is a feat that should stand out on its own, but fortunately, the film has a lot to offer. Easily the film’s strongest asset is its characters, in both the way they are written and acted. Benefiting from having a teen write the screenplay, the dialogue is pitch perfect, capturing the true way high school students talk to one another. It feels natural and helps keep the characters grounded in reality, as well as helping them appear relatable. It was better than the way a lot of bigger budgeted high school movies portray teens.
However, this dialogue would have been nothing without some strong performances, and we are treated to quite a few throughout the film. The main character, Zander, was remarkably relatable, and the way Cobe Bugni portrays him is top notch throughout. He has a lot of issues in his life and doesn’t realize how they affect those who care about him at times, but he redeems himself by the end and is well-developed. Sudduth’s performance as Kendall was unbelievably strong. She’s the character who holds the film afloat. Not only is she incredibly funny, but she plays the best friend role as more of a caring parent for Zander, which I have actually never seen before and was a nice breath of fresh air.
Hands down, however, the best character by far was Bryn, played by Aly Ward, a trouble-making girl who befriends Zander and Kendall. My goodness. This character completely stole the show, spewing out several absolutely gut-busting lines of brilliantly improvised dialogue with her no nonsense and straightforward approach. At the same time, she also comes off as supportive and caring, which came as a surprise from a character who could have easily been used as simple comic relief. She is always the highlight when on screen.
However, the film does suffer from some issues. While I can forgive some mishaps, such as some lower quality audio and odd editing at some points due to the film’s lower budget, there are still some questionable choices throughout. Probably the biggest one are the constant close-ups that did get a bit tiring. Close-ups are best used after a wider establishing shot or in order to purposely force the audience to pay attention to a particular character or characters during an important moment (and even then should be used sparingly). However, the close-ups here are way too abundant and not only got annoying at times, but can be downright confusing.
The film’s only other major flaw, and undeniably its biggest, comes in the way certain situations are handled. I won’t spoil it, but some surprisingly dark things occur or are foreshadowed that could have led to some added conflict and drama, but are glanced over. It may not have mattered as much if these particular elements were more minor or uninteresting, but they play as major parts of the story and were handled very well in the setup. Tension was built around the outcome of some of these situations, but when they eventually show up, the end result is either anti-climatic or glanced over and forgotten.
Despite a few flaws in its direction and execution, “Cracked” has too much good going for it to not completely enjoy it. The strong dialogue, well-written characters, entertaining performances and relatable setup make this film an absolute must-see, especially for any teen interested in filmmaking. To be as thoroughly entertained and engaged as I was watching this film is a major accomplishment. But knowing that a group of Atlanta teens was able to succeed where a lot of major Hollywood films have failed this year is almost unbelievable.
“Cracked” is currently playing at several film festivals and is planned to be uploaded to YouTube later this year. You can see behind the scenes vlogs and trailers, here.
Mikael Trench, 18, is a freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He is an aspiring filmmaker who specializes in working with stop motion animation. His latest stop motion animated short film, “The Tree That Refused To Fall,” won viewer’s choice award at the It’s My Life Atlanta Youth Film Festival.
