Caroline
2018 · 12m · USA
Directed by Celine Held, Logan George
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, tender, tense
In sweltering Texas heat, a desperate single mother leaves her six-year-old daughter Caroline in charge of two younger siblings in a parked car while she attends a crucial job interview, as strangers intervene and her predicament becomes public.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Held and George shoot almost entirely at child eye level — a camera position that transforms a social-issues premise into a study of what children absorb and carry when the systems around adults collapse.
Held and George before Topside — single mom, kids in a hot car, child-eye-level camera doing the moral work. Palme d'Or nominee for a reason; refuses the easy condemnation and earns the refusal.
Held and George shoot at child eye-level to dismantle the condemnatory media frame of a 'mother who left her kids in the car' — the camera's position is the moral argument. Palme nominee for good reason.
Reviews
The film very succinctly conveys the message and at the same time leaves us with many concerns about the system.
A powerful and resonating watch driven on by the incredibly touching performances.
Festivals
- SXSW 2018
- Cannes Film Festival 2018
- Telluride Film Festival 2018