Cody
One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Staci Frederick
Blistering performances.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
rooprect
To fully get this movie, it helps to know how it was conceived. Director/writer M.X.O was sitting on a plane when a gorgeous blonde took the seat next to him. She had a black eye. Eventually she told him her story which loosely served as the plot of Stratosphere Girl. At the same time he had been working on a different idea about an artist who tells & experiences a story through drawing.The point is that this film is two distinctly different ideas melded into one excellent & artistic film. On the surface it's a straightforward story (the tale of the blonde with a black eye), but within that story--as well as surrounding that story--is the story of an artist simultaneously creating & experiencing a fantasy. The mixture of these two approaches was brilliantly executed with stylish, slightly disorienting visuals which convey the feeling of detachment and exclusion that the heroine feels. The mood is cold & sterile, vividly recreating a feeling you may recognize if you've ever been alone in a foreign country. So much of this film rests on feelings like that, moods & experiences that may resonate within you. It creates a very memorable atmosphere like in a Wim Wenders film or maybe even the movie "The Usual Suspects" (note: I'm talking about mood, not plot!).The story takes a very slick twist toward the end which gives us a lot to munch on. It's not an overt M.Night Shyamalan gimmick but rather a clever & subtle detour that'll keep you thinking for hours afterward. I was very pleasantly surprised by this obscure gem, and I'll be keeping an eye out for this director's works in the future.
HighGomer84
I am not the biggest art movie fan in the world, but sometimes these films drift into areas that interest me and I check the out. I usually end up scratching my head in bewilderment. This also is a confusing but gorgeus film. I loved it from the opening scenes to its strange ending. The film progresses by a series of well thought out scenes, the visual contents of which are more important than either the action or the plot. It is the imagery that makes it so intriguing, I guess. Well, I suppose it's hard to explain without writing a whole essay, but I definitely suggest you to watch it, provided you have nothing against Tokyo, comics or blond girls. It should be seen on a large screen, it is breathtaking!
AndyW_2203
A little strange at times, but since when has that been a bad thing? This nice and intelligent film is structured on many layers, full of intrigue and double meanings. The plot leaves some things unanswered, which is quite irritating, but not to consider as an actual flaw. Some characters remind me of some of Lynch's disturbing, mysterious figures. And this German (?) director tries to give the film an extra layer via images, which he mostly succeeds. I recommend it. It is exquisitely performed and filmed.
serge904
even if it did stretch the bounds of believability more than just a little. I enjoyed the performances, found the pacing adequate, and the story interesting and different. Maybe it is a good idea, once in a while, to simply abandon audience expectations and simply tell a fantastic little story.Magnificent, slow-moving and well-told, "Stratosphere Girl" offers no intense drama, preferring instead a slow accumulation of subtle moments - shifts in color or seconds of eye contact - to express emotion and detail in the story. Such small, easily missed moments are surrounded by an eye-popping visual style - elegance is raised to unearthly levels throughout. An excellent film which has much to reveal.
