The Wise Kids

One of the big surprises of 2011. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more authentic and honest film concerning American Christian life. The characters are complexly drawn despite most being innocent and naive, each dealing with their own struggles tied both to growing up discovering the world and to their faith. Great performances from the entire cast, including the trio of young actors at the film's center. Stephen Cone is definitely a filmmaker to watch going forward.

Stephen Cone is more imposing feelings by his use of slowness and music than he is building a story to make us feel, particularly in the early stage of the movie. This said, he manages pretty well at describing the thoughts, doubts, frustrations of the christian upper middle class. The sociological and psychological analyses remain superficial.

I am so fond of this film, for its willingness to treat all its characters like people, rather than like issues to be decided upon. There are so many moments that Cone allows to develop, pregnant pauses, conversations that unfold, and that magnificent, early, "confession" scene. The film helps us to sympathize with all its characters, and as someone who, for different reasons, often feels "out of place" in Evangelical contexts, I connected deeply with this portrayal.

it's a testament to the innocence and lack of self-consciousness in these performances that this movie comes off so genuine and heartfelt, 'cause there's a real danger of this material seeming contrived and these characters becoming mouthpieces. instead, it's a touching little fictional counterpart to ONLY THE YOUNG.

The lack of forced profundity, moral righteousness and a just plain bad acting makes this film a refreshing departure from the normal schlock in this genre. The restraint shown by all involved shows a lot more maturity than I would normally expect.

Very pleasantly surprised by this tender, subtle, and evocative drama about the conflicting emotions of being different within the claustrophobic confines of a devoutly religious community. Sounds terribly conventional I know, but trust me when I say Cone has written an empathetic story that brings to life complex characters and elicits good performances from his capable young actors. I have a thorny relationship with religion so the fact that I like this film means it did something right.