Blu-ray Review: The Cat And The Moon

The Cat And The Moon is a wonderful and endearing and honest film about a high school kid who goes to live in New York while his mother does her stint in rehab. It stars Alex Wolff as Nick, a teenager who is trying to come to grips with the death of his father and the troubles of his mother while finding his own voice in the world. Alex Wolff also wrote, produced and directed the film. Mike Epps plays Cal, a musician who used to work with Nick’s father, and the person with whom Nick stays in New York. Stefania Lavie Owen plays Eliza, the girl that Nick takes an interest in. All three of these actors turn in remarkable performances, each with depth and heart and truth.

When the film opens, Nick is arriving at Cal’s home by way of taxi, and finding that the fare requires every bit of money he has. He then asks the taxi driver if by chance he has any weed. Well, the driver must have helped him out, because soon Nick is on the building’s rooftop getting high and interacting with whoever is passing by on the street below. It is a light moment, a way of trying to make the city his. And at his new school, he smokes pot in the bathroom, which is how he ends up making friends with Seamus (Skyler Gisondo) and Russell (Tommy Nelson), and gets to know Seamus’ girlfriend Eliza (Stefania Lavie Owen). With them, Nick is able to cut loose and enjoy himself. Though things take some serious turns, as when Russell uses a poor choice of words with a drug dealer on the street. And, considering the situation with Nick’s mother, it’s startling when Nick partakes in the mixture of drugs Russell purchased. Though that leads to a wonderfully funny moment when Nick is dancing like a maniac. Eliza asks him, “What happened to you?” Nick replies joyfully, “Drugs.” The entire cast is strong, and all the supporting players have moments to really flesh out their characters, helping to create a completely believable world. Olivia Boreham-Wing is wonderful as Lola, a girl who is interested in Nick, and sometimes just a look she gives Nick says as much as half a page of dialogue. And Russell, who at first seems like he is present primarily for comedy, turns out to have several sides to his character, seen – in addition to the drug-dealing scene – in the moment when he talks about taking piano lessons. But Skyler Gisondo as Seamus is particularly good, even able to accurately and honestly portray a state of inebriation, which is no easy task.

At the heart of this film are Nick’s relationships with both Cal and Eliza, and – most importantly – with himself, his coming to terms with the reality of his parents. Cal has some video footage of Nick’s father in the recording studio, and at one point Nick sits down to watch it, getting a different sense of who his father was, as he sees his father screaming at the technician because the drums are too loud in the mix. There are some truly touching moments in this film, like when Nick’s mother calls him. His reaction is so honest when he hears she’s on the phone, the change in his expression, his tone. Then when he’s on the phone with her, it’s like he becomes the adult in the relationship. We only hear his side of the conversation, but get a sense of what she’s saying from some of his reactions. This scene provides a nice contrast with those early moments when he’s with his friends. The scene where Nick tells Eliza about his father is heartbreakingly honest, both actors giving fantastic performances, and the scene between Nick and Cal when they talk about Nick’s dad is powerful, and actually had me in tears. But don’t worry, for this is not a depressing film. It has too much hope for the future to be so.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a photo gallery of production photos. There are ninety-three photos, and they play through without the need of the arrow button on the remote. The film’s trailer is also included.

The Cat And The Moon was directed by Alex Wolff, and was released on Blu-ray on April 14, 2020 through FilmRise and MVD Visual.