I have just returned from the Cannes Film Festival where I saw a wonderful American Indy movie called Au Pair Kansas playing at the Palais Des Festival. It's a quirky and poignant dramedy impressively made for under a million dollars about a Norwegian Au Pair rescuing an American family from the grief of losing their father by encouraging them to band together and form a soccer team. In the era of prequels sequels and remakes this is the kind of gem that is unfortunately hard to see outside of the festival circuit these days so I hope it makes it to the theatres or local DVD stores so it can find the audience it deserves. Set amidst the sweeping plains of Kansas in an old Swedish community near a buffalo farm homestead this is a world you rarely get to see at the movies, especially in this budget range where locations are usually limited to the interior of a house. There are strong performances all around from the cast, but I especially enjoyed the performance from Traci Lords (yes, that Traci Lords!) who plays the grieving widow with a sadness and vulnerability that will surely win her more leading roles in dramas and dramedies. I could literally feel her pain as a distraught mother grieving her husband and terrified of losing her two young sons to their own pain and confusion. To counter this raw family emotion enters the soccer obsessed Norwegian Au Pair who will mend the families woes through his genuine need to connect people through his beloved game of soccer. However, before he gets the family to reconnect and have the confidence to face the future together there are a few false accusations and misunderstandings along the way that will have you laughing and crying, sometimes at the same time. Watch out for the art teacher character who doesn't quite know which team to play for, the girls or the boys! Despite the narrative going from drama to comedy and back again the overall tone of the film is always nicely balanced and true to the subject matter at hand. For a small indy film the cinematography is highly impressive with many beautiful panoramic shots of the expansive plains of Kansas. It's rare to see a first feature film with this much confidence and elegance.
Review of The Soccer Nanny
