Written and directed by Cory Wexler Grant, Julien and Cary’s dream of having their own show on the high school radio station is finally realized, bringing them a popularity and infamy they never imagined. Starring: Richie Fusco, David Bloom, Roe Hartrampf, TJ Lee, Jessica Joy, Melissa Center, Maya McQueen, Madison Tevlin, Ryan Gold, Sara Sevigny, Amanda Bruton, Melody Betts and Sydney Lolita Cusic.
One of the key elements of Screams from the Tower which comes through right from the start is personality. Centring the film around Julien (Richie Fusco) with his larger than life personality of course calls for the style of the film to reflect that and Cory Wexler Grant achieves that really well. It’s buzzy, it has a big energy, there’s a lot of movement and colour, it’s tapping directly into that teenage vivacity and relentlessness. Bringing a little touch of chaos and that crazy fluctuation of hormones to its style to nicely reflect its leading character, in theatrical fashion.
Richie Fusco then lives up to that by making Julien an unstoppable force, he’s constantly barrelling forward and forever ignoring responsibilities and emotional issues. It’s a great performance, Fusco brings a strong presence and charm while also communicating the fractures beneath the surface of Julien which are slowly growing. David Bloom’s Cary is sweet and wants to play things safe and stay out of the danger zones in high school. TJ Lee’s Robin is adorable and a classic example of how sometimes you need other people to get you out of your comfort zone. Melody Betts was also a wonderful addition, and Justin Prince Moy adds in another very sweet note. There’s a superb ensemble who all have their own little quirks and warmth to add to the mix.
While there is plenty to enjoy, there’s also a few little things here and there that prevent Screams from the Tower from reaching the height of its potential. The biggest one being the runtime, it can’t sustain itself for almost two hours, so it ends up losing a lot of its momentum in the second half. That then becomes an issue as it’s building to this big emotionally rewarding moment, which then falls fairly flat. It builds to its biggest emotional height too early, so it starts to dwindle and then can’t raise itself high enough again for the ending to have the impact it’s going for. It also struggles to really build a convincing 1990s feel, it’s a good attempt but never quite gets there.
Screams from the Tower is sweet and filled with personality, it’s a great coming-of-age flick with excellent characters. It’s a little offbeat, it has a big energy, and plenty of classic teenage emotional issues and burgeoning sexuality to work through. It’s very theatrical and charming, with a terrific cast led by a confident yet surprisingly vulnerable performance from Richie Fusco. It’s a shame it can’t muster the big emotional punch it was going for with the ending as it stretches itself a little thin, but it’s a good time and has a lot of excellent ingredients.
FilmCarnage.com 