Lick the Star

Sofia Coppola really had a handle on female adolescent angst, nicely evidenced in her 1998 short film LICK THE STAR, which she directed and co-wrote with Stephanie Hayman.  The junior high/middle school years really do suck, don't they? That time when you're thrown into a big pond after being around the same classmates all day long for years.  When pecking orders really emerge.

 

Chloe (Audrey Heaven) is the feared leader of the coolest clique.  We learn of her first through Kate (Christina Turley), who explains in voiceover that she's missed some school because of a broken foot.  She'll learn the new phrase they use, "lick the star" is more than just code; it's a plot to poison boys.  Inspiration was taken from that perennial V.C. Andrews favorite Flowers in the Attic.  

In the film's quick fourteen minutes, the plot will progress into a misunderstanding that will dramatically switch up the social dynamics of the group.  It's very abrupt and the fallout will be relatable to anyone who's been in such a delicate social circle, where someone else is always ready to assume the king or queen bee mantle.  Such is school.  Or church.  Or your workplace.

Sofia has an ear for dialogue.  Nothing here feels contrived or phony, even when Peter Bogdanovich turns up as the principal (quite convincing!).  LICK THE STAR, a nice primer for THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, begs to be longer, perhaps a half hour or so, as it feels underdeveloped, like we never really know these girls.  But at the same time it's perfect for those reasons, as people in our lives are often like vapors.  And those mountaintops are traded for valleys just as quickly. 

Expectedly, some cool tunes from the likes of the Amps, the Go-Gos, and Free Kitten.