Review by John Delia
Wacky, clever and witty, CRSHD is a film that all millennials will love. Throw in a few Gen-Z’s who are still in High School and you have the right mix. That said, the film even passes the test for those who are curious about what it would be like to live in the age of Instagram. And this cool script leads you into a coming of age hunt for a last chance to lose one’s virginity before the end of the first college year.
Izzy Alden (Isabelle Barbier), Anuka Deshpande (Deeksha Ketkar), and Fiona Newman (Sadie Scott) are best friends and Freshmen at their community college. However, it’s about to be the end of the term and they haven’t been asked to any of the parties. Izzy gets wind of a “Crushed†party where you submit someone’s name as your crush and if someone submits yours, you both get invited to the wild event.
While Izzy, who has an overactive imagination, has gone through the proper motions to get crushed, Anuka has had to choose an unlikely person for her partner to get in and schemer Fiona has put a plan of action together to attend in a “different†way. When they finally get to the party, well, things don’t go exactly the way they would want, especially if part of the plan is to have sex for the first time. That’s not to say that there is plenty of available partners, but there’s a lot of competition for the right guy or girl.
Thus begins a marathon night for the three best friends that find themselves on the short end of the stick. Well, maybe not completely as Director and writer Emily Cohn includes some creative twists with some very amusing end results. With very good control of her actors she molds them into a “coming of ager†rather than Izzy getting a slam dunk, Anuka finding some desirable acceptance, and Fiona meeting her special dream curiosity with someone sexy.
In the roles of the three millennials are new fresh faces that get a chance to show their acting prowess on the big screen. Much like the beginning of many a teen that have reached the A list, Isabelle Barbier, Deeksha Ketkar, and Sadie Scott get their first opportunity as the girls who just “wanna have funâ€, and then some. Director Cohn has a leg up on knowing about today’s women, being just 25 and a true confessed Millennial who has had some experience at college, has command of her Facebook and Instagram and has found so many likeminded friends. Well, I am sure it all rubbed off on her cast and it’s very smart of her because it shows big on the screen.
For someone’s first feature film, especially just getting out of college, CRSHD really should hit a chord for Emily Cohn’s audience. If you have followed me and read my reviews then you know I tend to analyze a lot of Independent Films. It’s because they are the future of film, especially during this tough time of COVID-19 when theaters are closed to audiences. With this well written and acted film we find a young lady determined to show what she can do for the industry and she nails it. For her foundling actors, I wish them the best and they should show the movie to as many filmmakers to get their attention.
CRSHD has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains some language, sexual language and underage drinking. Consider it a PG-13 and should be viewed by mature teens.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A cool film for the inferred age group (4 out of 5 Stars for Millennials)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Â Isabelle Barbier, Deeksha Ketkar, Sadie Scott, Will Janowitz, L.H. Gonzalez, Abdul Seidu
Directed and written by: Emily Cohn
Genre: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: Not Rated. Contains language, sexual chat and underage drinking
Running Time: 1 hr. 21 min.
Opening Date: August 4, 2020
Distributed by: 1091 Pictures
Released in: VOD, Digital