Written and directed by lead actress Mikayla Baiocchi, a self-centred and materialistic social media superstar believes that, because she has millions of Instagram followers, she is capable of making a feature film but as it turns out, she’s not. Starring: Sydnée Grant, Sam Li, Audrey Pennington, Stephanie LeHane, Evan Macedo, Willow Cai and Austin DeShayes.
Even from the synopsis it’s very clear what they’re going for here, it’s an extremely relevant parody of today’s world, filled with people known simply for their follower count, selfie game and flawless filters. It’s a touch of outlandish comedy but it’s also undeniable that a lot of it does actually feel realistic, with just how far a social media following can inflate an ego to seismic proportions. It’s not the only modern stereotype that it plays on, the style of comedy it uses fits quite well into the classic sarcastic, backhanded humour of shows like Arrested Development. Its use of narration also makes it feel very familiar to the Hurwitz sitcom.
The directorial style comes across like a cross between a behind the scenes extra and reality tv, throwing in a lot of handheld shots and close-up edits. Its style also has that touch of being restless or with a short attention span, as is fitting for its story, never staying still for too long, jumping around to its different characters. That also adds a nice speed and flowing pace, pulling you in and then before you know it, it’s over. It’s a style that’s familiar but doesn’t feel repetitive or outdated. It’s also filmed in such a way with unfocused shots and adjusting angles to fit with the amateur filmmaking theme they’re going for which works well.
Mikayla Baiocchi feels like she easily transforms into Micah, her selfishness and delusions of grandeur are convincing and she does feel as though she could be plucked directly from the world of influencers. The whole cast is a solid ensemble, they each have something to add and as a whole feel like a rag-tag bunch who don’t know what they’re doing but it’s fun to watch them try and fail.
Micah Makes a Movie is funny, satisfyingly sarcastic and a spot-on parody of the false sense of authority that comes from a high follower count. It’s intensely relevant for today’s world, playing on several different stereotypes but never falling into the trap of trying to over-use the language attributed to Gen Z. It moves with a good pace and its directorial style feels reminiscent of popular sitcoms, as well as fitting in harmony with the tone of its story. Most importantly it does actually leave you wanting to find out what happens next.
FilmCarnage.com 