Worth: $15.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Sabrina Joy Jie-A-Fa, Louis Tomeo, J. Scott Browning, Asahi Hirano, Ayden Lee
Intro:
… one of the most gosh-dang adorable films audiences can expect to see in 2023.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign that began on TikTok (because yes, good things do happen on that platform occasionally), Sarah Kambe Holland’s feature debut is now doing the rounds on the festival circuit.
A fleshing-out of her short film of the same name, which also went viral on TikTok, Egghead & Twinkie is a coming-of-age story about two friends on a road trip, dealing with their social and sexual hangups along the way. It is also one of the most gosh-dang adorable films audiences can expect to see in 2023.
Borrowing from films such as Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, the visual style incorporates hand-drawn animation to punch-up the predominantly live-action footage. It’s a striking aesthetic for a micro-budget film, and the individual touches are quite cute, from the running tally of Twinkie’s (Sabrina Joy Jie-A-Fa) fibs during the recollection of the film’s events, represented with a video game score counter, to direct lifts from anime like Ouran High School Host Club (once again, otakus are eating well this year). While the aforementioned micro-budget is evident times, like the painfully-obvious rear-projection for the driving scenes, the money is used well to deliver in terms of cinematography and a vibe-heavy soundtrack.
The chemistry of the leads is absolutely stellar as well. Jie-A-Fa wields her character’s deadpan expressions and ‘tired lesbian’ aesthetics like a pro, while Louis Tomeo as the himbo-y Egghead plays out the long path of becoming a proper ally with suitable cringe but also palpable heart. The film is built on just the two of them shooting the shit and dealing with shit in equal measure, and the rapport between them is so natural that the end product results in a genuine portrait of besties being besties.
As for the Queer dimensions of the story, taking place between Florida and Texas (U.S. states with contentious relationships to the community), it starts out exploring Egghead as the best friend dealing with an unrequited crush on someone who plays for a different team, while Twinkie, a Chinese adoptee in a White family, is still coming to terms with coming out to her best friend and to her parents with… less-than-ideal results. It’s like a more intimate counterpoint to similar explorations in the recent Joy Ride, and there’s a definite warmth to how both sides of the equation are handled, with what feels like genuine lived-in experience.
Egghead & Twinkie is one of those little films that could and did. Conceived, nurtured, and delivered in Gen Z stomping grounds, it’s a whip-smart and whip-fast production (Holland, Anna Definis, and Kristina League’s editing is sublime) that gets resonate and effective ends out of its smaller means. It’s earnest and quirky, but never annoyingly so, and its well-told narrative has something to offer for gays and allies alike.
The Australian premiere of Egghead & Twinkie takes place at Queer Screen Film Fest on Wear It Purple Day with $10 tickets, or free for anyone under 26
