“Sparks”

I have such an affinity for creative little indies like “Sparks,” even if it’s a movie that’s far more interesting in capturing an overall mood than offering a compelling plot. Writer and director Fergus Campbell‘s film is a slow-burning, artsy exploration of imagination, cinema, and the longing to escape small-town life, and it can be tedious to sit through. Those willing to give it a shot may get antsy from time to time, but the eventual payoff feels worth it.

Cleo (Elsie Fisher) is new to Sparks, Nevada, where she discovers a cigarette machine that somehow spits out a book on Jean-Luc Godard. Soon she meets a teen group called the Crop, becomes obsessed with cinema, and convinces herself that a local reservoir can send her back to 1960s Paris to meet Godard himself (yeah, it’s certainly quirky, and excessively so).

The film is trying and deliberate, and it leans heavily into the most obnoxious film student tendencies (long, meandering shots, symbolic gestures, and self-indulgent tangents that beg for an eye roll). That said, Campbell’s vision is unmistakable, and the film’s stronger sequences of dreamy adventures, quirky social dynamics, and surreal set pieces work in ways only carefully crafted magical realism can. It’s whimsical and inventive, even if it’s not exactly “entertaining” in the traditional sense.

The artsy detours are over-the-top and challenging, but I have to give kudos to Campbell for never wavering and making the film he clearly wanted to make. This is a project that’s all about experiencing creativity and imagination, and it’s certainly ambitious. Would I watch “Sparks” again? Probably not. But I can’t deny the bold vision and originality on display.

By: Louisa Moore