Baby Don’t Cry Review

Baby Don’t Cry is a 2021 feature film directed by Jesse Dvorak and written by Zita Bai.

A coming-of-age tale that is rooted in the immigrant experience, Baby Don’t Cry delivers in a deeply personal and emotionally engaging story.

One of the first things you will notice with this film is the quiet contemplative nature it is able to evoke. There is this striking innocence that Baby, as portrayed by Zita Bai, is able to convey. As someone who grew up in a small town, that experience of lone exploration is done quite a bit of justice here.

As with any good coming of age story, we watch Baby as she slowly finds some string of independence, especially away from her overbearing sickly mother (something that we will come back to shortly). As she befriends a local teen delinquent named Fox as played by Vas Provatakis, she finds her voice.

The dynamic of these two leads is a big part of where this film works so well. The chemistry on camera is very dynamic and the two extend polar opposite ends of personality to the other. This is not a constant though, as each character has their time to show other sides. With Fox becoming more vulnerable in parts while Baby has times of being more extroverted and boisterous.

The one-story element that did not translate as well as one could have hoped was the symbolism of the role that the animal metaphors play in the film. Particularly in the way the mother is shown. In some scenes, she takes on the role of a pig, which is, of course, an easy symbol to decipher from as well as our lead Fox. It felt as watching that there was a want or desire to have that illusion between animal and person become more blurred, which would have been interesting to see expanded further. Here, though, it feels as if we were given a middle ground that didn’t quite commit to either part.

That note aside, though, there is a lot to connect and love with this film. The setting of the outskirts of Seattle in particular is so gorgeous, evoking an instant grunge aesthetic to everything. The production values are much appreciated and the cinematography courtesy of Adam Leene is gorgeous.

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When the credits roll on Baby, Don’t Cry will leave you with a lot to reflect on and that is always a beautiful quality that not all films share. The care and love that when into this film is clear, and the world built feels natural, filled with life. This is a fantastic watch and especially amazing for all those who have to share in the hardships with what it means not only to be a first-generation child growing up in modern America but the female perspective as well.

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This film was screened as part of the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival.

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

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