Amy George

A C & Y production. Created by Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas. Executive producer, Connor Jessup. Directed, written edited by Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas.With: Gabriel del Castillo Mullally, Claudia Dey, Don Kerr, Natasha Allan, Emily Henry, Candice Barkin, Yaari Magenheim, John Scott, Andrea Verginella, Ester Reyes.When a good example were needed of why newcomer helmers should not be also producers, scripters, lensers and editors, it's "Amy George." Reveling inside a wearisome grunge indie aesthetic, co-everythings Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas revisit a not-so-distant adolescence via their protag, 13, feeling a hormonal pull. Self-indulgent and underwritten, this mood piece struggles to stimulate the sexual yearnings from the average teen, but emerges as the second charmless Holden Caulfield fake. World preemed in the Wisconsin fest in April, the pic will probably play more fests before arriving on streaming sites. A category assignment to consider a self-portrait without literally integrating the self stumps Jesse (Gabriel del Castillo Mullally), however when he reads "You cant ever be considered a real artist until you have made like to a lady," the sentiment ties in perfectly together with his burgeoning randiness. He increases a tree and button snaps shots of recent neighbor Amy (Emily Henry), who functions annoyed but likes the interest. Other interactions are less obvious: Do Jesse's parents (Claudia Dey and Don Kerr) have jobs? Muddy pictures reflect the reduced budget, although the shaky camera and insistent piano banging can not be similarly excused.Camera (color, HD), Yonah Lewis, Thomas music, Lev Lewis, Michael Holt production designer, Andrea Leigh Pelletier costume designer, Maerin Hunting. Examined at Rome Film Festival (Alice within the City), November. 1, 2011. (Also in Toronto Film Festival -- Canada First.) Running time: 95 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com