Me and Earl and the Dying Girl combines light-hearted humour and unique animated effects with a captivating cast that explores the complexities of life and death.
Relative newcomer Thomas Mann stars as Greg Gaines, an awkward, self-depreciating floater as he deems himself. Always floating around the edges of each social group, determined to get through his senior year at high school unnoticed with only his long-time friend and fellow film maker Earl Jackson (Ronald Cyler II) as his constant companion. But Greg soon learns that his classmate Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed with leukaemia and is forced by his parents to befriend her. After some hesitation and caution they slowly become friends.
Often compared to The Fault in Our Stars, Me and Earl and The Dying Girl takes the less romantic road and instead uses humour to create the meaningful relationships that are portrayed on screen. The relationship between Greg and Earl was one of the highlights in the film, with Earl’s bluntness combining well with Greg’s eccentricities.
I found that the use of animation was a quirky way to diffuse the tension and sadness in the film and allowed the audience to briefly see inside Greg’s overactive mind. The film also included intricate stop motion animation and live-action short films to represent Greg and Earl’s classic film parodies.
Me and Earl and The Dying Girl first started off as a book by Jesse Andrews which was published in 2012. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the film won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The awards are no surprise, with constant humour mixed in with tender scenes, the film deserves all the praise it can get!
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Running Time: 105 minutes
Published on August 25, 2015 on West End Magazine
Emily Facoory 