Steal Away

I often struggle to review films that are style over substance. There are only so many ways you can say a film looks amazing but the quality of the story is lacking. This is my problem when trying to talk about Steal Away.

Directed by Clement Virgo of DAHMER fame, the story involves Fanny (Angourie Rice), who is a wealthy teen as her family takes in African princess Cécile (Mallori Johnson) when she becomes a refugee. The film is a magical exploration of their friendship and the odd world they inhabit.

The one positive, as previously mentioned, is that this film is gorgeous. The set design and cinematography look great.

This film does have a lot of issues. The largest is that it doesn’t feel connected at all from one scene to the next. Things just happen and there’s not really a flow. There is a reveal with about twenty minutes left of the film that comes out of left field. The middle is extremely boring, as it just shows scene after scene of the girls living their daily lives. There really is no threat besides the vague idea that the police will catch Cécile.

There are also some problematic elements to the film, as it paints Fanny as innocent and virginally pure and Cécile as very sexually promiscuous. It’s also revealed the only other character of color, Rufus (Idrissa Sanogo), has been sleeping with all the girls that Fanny’s family takes in. It just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I don’t have much to say with this one. Its biggest crime is that it is just really dull and has nothing interesting to say. You wouldn’t be missing much if you skipped this one.