Giddy Stratospheres (2021 | USA | 67 mins | Laura Jean Marsh)
We’re dragged through the streets of London as Lara (Laura Jean Marsh) and Daniel (Jamal Franklin) are rushing to make it from one debaucherous romp to the next. An all too familiar scene for those of us barely tickling 21 in the early aughts and perhaps something we’d mostly like to forget. The story turns tragically dark and we’re left to deal with the fallout of a lifestyle that’s never meant to last.
For once I’ll say a film was actually a bit too short for its own good. While the mania of a drug-addled night filled with giggles, music and sex were addressed with wild abandon, the depth of the characters ended up being a lot more shallow than I would have liked. The bones of a good story were there but I just wanted to sink my teeth into it sadly coming up with only half a mouth-full.
On a side note, the soundtrack was solid, filling every nook and cranny of the story with punk rock craziness including the titular song by The Long Blondes. If you haven’t heard of them or the other bands included in the list then I highly recommend you take an afternoon or evening to dance your heart out.
Giddy Stratospheres is available on all the typical streaming services (Google, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, etc) now