Written and directed by Sean Billings-Almendarez and Romeo Okwara, during recess at a middle school, two groups of 8th graders compete daily for a coveted lunch box filled with junk food and the glory of victory. The athletically gifted “All-Stars” dominate the games, while the scrappy “Rejects” keep showing up, determined to change the status quo. Starring: Julian Alexis, Grady Bartholf, Benjamin Carro, Elliana Dauplaise, Darby David, Cam Healy, Grayson Hood, Kai Morgan, Tyler Nunnery, Seaanna Savage and Kai Jackson Szopa.
With all the added minefields and pressures facing kids today with the growth of social media, and general state of the world, it’s rare to find films which take it back to something simpler; forget the phones, the trends, the weird TikTok challenges, just kids being kids. That’s exactly what you get with Lunch Box, and it’s refreshing, wholesome and quietly charming.
A big part of that is creating an authentic feel, and Sean Billings-Almendarez and Romeo Okwara do that well. They build a grounded style, the cinematography from Charles A. Kennedy Jr. exists very much within the everyday, it doesn’t try to overly sharpen the aesthetic and the editing from Ty Feague is nicely simple. The directors capture the youthfulness and enthusiasm of their characters while remaining humble.
The concept is a great one, some good old-fashioned competition, the popular kids vs the underdogs. It has a strong sense of resilience, they know the odds are stacked against them, but they’ll just keep lining up to play anyway, and who wouldn’t with cupcakes, cookies and gummy worms up for grabs? The music choices nicely boost the atmosphere, keeping things light and fun, the pacing works well and it has a natural air.
Part of that is of course down to the performances from this young ensemble, they make for a great group and there’s no weak link among them. They manage to build their own personalities, they have solid chemistry and rivalries, as well as building up the backstory. When all of that is being achieved within less than a dozen minutes, they definitely deserve plenty of credit. They’re an endearing, energetic, ragtag bunch.
Lunch Box is a lovely piece of old-school, wholesome entertainment. Sean Billings-Almendarez and Romeo Okwara throw things back to a simpler time and capture a nostalgic childhood moment. It’s a nice change of pace to see a bunch of kids just getting outside, participating in a little healthy competition and having a good time, win or lose. They put together an excellent cast, this young ensemble does really well to create an organic feel to the film. Something that’s then reflected by the directorial style and aesthetic. The value of making grounded, simple, warm-hearted cinema like this is too often underappreciated.
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