- Actors: Julia Batelaan, Emma de Paauw, Annelies Appelhof, Andre Dongelmans, Joost Bolt
- Directors: Colinda Bongers, Thijs Meuwese
- Disc Format: Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Parents Strongly CautionedPG-13
- Studio: Artsploitation
- Release Date: October 2, 2018
- Run Time: 91 minutes
Had Molly been a Hollywood film, it would
feel like a dozen other postapocalyptic sci-fi films. Add to that a teenage
protagonist with special supernatural abilities that may save the world, and
little about Molly doesn’t feel derivative.
The most original and impressive things about the film have to do with the
production rather than the final product. Not only is the scope of the film
more impressive due to the obvious budget limitations, but it also has the
unique distinction of being from the Netherlands.
In a barren
world that has been ravished by war, a young girl named Molly (Julia Batelaan)
wanders around the landscape on her own. We are given brief glimpses into her
past through flashbacks, but the narrative has little dialogue and primarily
tells the story visually. This was likely a calculated decision, as the actors
all speak English in what seems to be an effort to make the film more universal.
Unfortunately, when the actors do speak, they don’t always come off naturally
in a language that clearly isn’t their first.
There is also a
slow start to the narrative, and the near silent journey also runs the risk of
being a bit dull. A lot of time is spent with Molly alone, watching the intricate
details of her survival methods. And when the action finally does begin, it is
more notable for the ambition of the filmmaking than any impressiveness in the
storytelling. Much of the camera work floats through action scenes, rather than
editing a series of shots together. This puts a lot more pressure on the fight
choreography, which often reads as a bit stagey as a result. It also doesn’t help
that Molly has special powers, but only actually utilizes them a few times in
the film.
The ambition of
the camera and fight choreography reaches new levels in the film’s climax, with
30 minutes of an apparent uninterrupted take. It is possible that there are
invisible cuts in there, but that doesn’t take away from the carefully choreographed
sequence. Unfortunately, the impressiveness of the ambition is so showy that it
takes away from the actual narrative. It felt like a movie that’s sole purpose
was to show technical prowess, and I didn’t care about the story or characters
as a result. It also didn’t help that the narrative was basically the same that
has been used in numerous superhero and postapocalyptic narratives, and that
the actors all came off a bit false. There are some impressive things about
Molly, but not nearly enough to make up for the film’s shortcomings.
The Blu-ray
release for Molly comes with a 30-minute making-of featurette, giving some
insight into the impressively low budget shoot and the intricacies behind some
of the more ambitious elements in the production. There are also additional production
stories in the commentary track with co-directors Colinda Bongers and Thijs
Meuwese. The last extras are just trailers for additional Artsploitation
releases.
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 6/10
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