Gretchen (film) explained

Gretchen
Director:Steve Collins
Producer:Rajen Savjani
Cinematography:PJ Raval
Editing:Mike Shen
Studio:Film Science
Van Hoy/Knudsen Productions
Distributor:Film1
Watchmaker Films
Runtime:98 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English

Gretchen is a 2006 film directed by Steve Collins, starring Courtney Davis as the title character. The film was Collins' first full-length feature and was based on his short film Gretchen & the Night Danger.

Plot

Gretchen Finkle (Courtney Davis) is a 17-year-old high school student with a romantic obsession over Ricky (John Merriman). Her mother (Becky Ann Baker) becomes so concerned about Gretchen's crush that she sends her daughter to an in-patient emotional therapy clinic.

Cast

Production

Development

Gretchen is a full-length adaptation of Steve Collins' 2004 short film Gretchen & the Night Danger, which won the Jury Award for Competition Shorts at South By Southwest.[1] [2]

Reception

Critical response

Sky Hirschkron, writing for Stylus Magazine, stated, "Collins is perceptive to Gretchen’s status as a loser; the problem is that he offers nothing to counterbalance it, resulting in a perspective inadvertently as cruel as her tormentors".[3] Film Threats Don Lewis commented, "Gretchen is a really dry, funny and sad film [...] The bond between Gretchen and her mother is a sweet touch and without it, one might think Collins was cinematically abusing Gretchen just as everyone else does throughout the film."[4]

Accolades

Award!
CategoryNomineeResult
Los Angeles Film Festival[5] Best Dramatic FeatureSteve Collins

Notes and References

  1. Web site: O'Connell. Joe. Film News: Kat in a hot Austin indie summer; plus, 'How to Eat Fried Worms,' Jeffrey Travis, and the rest. The Austin Chronicle. 16 March 2013. 19 August 2005.
  2. Web site: SXSW Film 04 Awards: The best of the fest. The Austin Chronicle. 16 March 2013. 19 March 2004.
  3. Web site: Hirschkron. Sky. The 2007 Independent Film Festival of Boston. Stylus Magazine. 16 March 2013. 15 May 2007.
  4. Web site: Lewis. Don. Gretchen. Film Threat. 16 March 2013. 15 March 2006.
  5. Web site: Gretchen (2006/I) - Awards. IMDb. 16 March 2013.