When a young woman from Portland, Oregon finds herself in a rut and pulled in way too many directions by family, friends and life itself, she must dust herself off and start all over again. If all this sounds like a statement plucked from the cliché handbook, that’s because it is— but only in the best sense of the word.
David F Morgan’s premiere feature film, City Baby, is the quintessential coming-of-age saga we all suffer through, whether we choose to admit it or not. Co-written with Cora Benesh, who portrays the struggling young theatre actress named Cloey, the film explores the typical and atypical relationships formed and foisted upon Cloey, as seen from her often cockeyed point of view.
What’s so wonderful about City Baby is not only Cloey’s roundabout journey toward maturity, but all the heartbreaking, comical, and poignant parallel tales concerning each character in Cloey’s world. These include Cloey’s seemingly conservative dad (Daniel Baldwin), her best friend and fashion-designer-wannabe, Paige (Jillian Leigh), and Cloey’s pathetic, much older, rocker-boyfriend, Jesse (Andrew Harris).
Aside from absolutely superb acting from each and every member of the cast, and Bryce Fortner’s really fine cinematography, what’s particularly notable about Morgan work is his focus upon the subtle details. One scene worthy of particular consideration is the expression in Jillian Leigh’s eyes as her character, Paige, rips up her long awaited acceptance letter from a prestigious design school.
City Baby is a surprisingly excellent movie and well worth seeing. I’d also strongly recommend that you pay careful attention to David F Morgan, and any new films he cares to share with us in the future.
This film was submitted for review through our Submission for Review system. If you have a film you’d like us to see, and we aren’t already looking into it on our own, you too can utilize this service.
