Image courtesy of Janus Films
Sophy Romvari’s feature-length debut, “Blue Heron,” emanates a cool ache—a bruised limb you cradle like a child.
“Blue Heron” traces the story of a family and a childhood on the rocks. Immigrant parents from Hungary are trying their best to start a new life with their children in Canada, but their eldest, Jeremy, continues to exhibit increasingly hostile and dangerous behavior without explanation. Seen through the naive eyes of his younger sister, Sasha, now looking back with a trained eye as an adult social worker, the perspective expands into its fuller picture of the whole family—a poem about loss and the struggle of unconditional love.
Sometimes, it doesn’t work out, and that’s OK. Love spent is not love wasted. It’ll probably hurt, but you can and should truly love, even if you don’t fully understand the person.
“Blue Heron” is directed very naturalistically, showcasing character moments of daily life like core memories, which is very true to how I personally remember my childhood. I am of a similar age to the main character in the present day, and seeing elements I remember from my childhood treated as sacred brought me great joy. I was brought to tears by a scene of the father showing Sasha how to use Microsoft Paint. Its photography is simple and elegant, and its score is sparse, delicate and lovely.
The one part where I got a little lost was the timeline-jumping between past and present Sasha, but, ultimately, that makes the film play more abstractly—more focused on feelings and memories than a linear story of direct correlation and causation, which really worked for me. (Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha” from earlier this year employed a similar structure, and I think it works in both films’ favor).
I deeply admire how “Blue Heron” treats its children like real characters, with both empathy and maturity as they make their own choices. Relatively small moments become childhood-defining: peeling potatoes, learning Microsoft Paint, your brother climbing onto the roof. The film captures the feeling of being inside a memory and aching for your younger self as beautifully as I’ve ever seen a film do—maybe tied with Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun.”
I couldn’t recommend this film more. It even ends with a needle drop of one of my favorite songs, one that I didn’t think that many people knew. See this on the big screen—I think it’s one of the best films of the decade. “Blue Heron” opens at Midtown Cinema in May.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com. Gabriel Brown serves as assistant manager at Midtown Cinema.
May Events
at Midtown Cinema
First Run Films
“The Devil Wears Prada 2,” May 1
“Steal This Story, Please,” May 8
“Blue Heron,” (TBA)
“Backrooms,” May 29
25FOR25 Series
25 great films celebrating 25 years of Midtown Cinema
“Big Fish” (2003), Sunday, May 3
“Before Sunset” (2004), Tuesday, May 5
“Brokeback Mountain” (2005), Sunday, May 10
“Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), Sunday, May 17
“No Country for Old Men” (2007), Sunday, May 31
Late Night Frights
“The Fog” (1980)
Friday, May 1, 9:30 p.m.
Down in Front!
Comedy Riffing
“Prince of Space” (1959)
Friday, May 8, 9:30 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“Miss Congeniality” (2000)
Friday, May 15, 9:30 p.m.
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