Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

22 July 2015 | 2:31 pm | Sean Capel

"Drama unafraid to rip your heart out."

With cinema currently drowning in big blockbusters, finding an original voice is rare. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl proves one such film.

The film follows teenage outcast and filmmaker/cineaste Greg (Thomas Mann), who maintains tenuous relationships with people. His closest is with Earl (RJ Cyler), with whom he expresses a mutual love of world cinema through homemade parodies. One day, Greg is forced by his mother to spend time with Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a girl diagnosed with cancer, with whom he finds an unexpected bond.

This independent coming-of-age film is what cinema is about, an emotional rollercoaster that can make you laugh and cry. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directs his debut with confidence, aided by beautiful/unconventional cinematography and an outstanding Brian Eno-soaked soundtrack, creating a film firmly about friendship, identity and the love of cinema (the parodies are glorious).

Jesse Andrews' script (adapted from his own novel) contains spot-on, eccentric humour (a surprise interjection from a particular poster is amazing) balanced with excellent drama unafraid to rip your heart out.

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Despite name actors like Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon and Jon Bernthal (who are excellent) the young leads — Mann, Cyler and Cooke — own the film with their endearing, engaging performances.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl is a must-see, particularly for cinephiles. Hilarious and emotional, it will linger long after viewing.