Another Girl is the latest film by writer/director Allison Burnett. It is a continuation of his 2014 cult masterpiece, Ask Me Anything, which is based on his own novel, Undiscovered Gyrl. Ask Me Anything and Undiscovered Gyrl follow the exploits of an adventurous, promiscuous and self-destructive eighteen-year-old girl named Katie Kampenfelt. An exhibitionist of the internet age, Katie blogs about all the salacious details of her private life, making her an unwitting target to just about everyone.
Another Girl, based on a Burnett novella, picks up where Katie’s story ends. A young woman named Elle Overton (Sammi Hanratty) has just finished reading Undiscovered Gyrl and deeply identifies with Katie. She comes across a website that claims to belong to Katie and contacts her out of curiosity. To Elle’s surprise, Katie (or someone who says they are Katie) writes back. The two develop an intimate relationship over email in which Elle confides the many painful details of her tragic past.
For those familiar with Burnett’s universe, Another Girl is cleverly meta and intriguingly complex. Anyone unfamiliar with Burnett’s previous works need not worry, however. Another Girl is a highly satisfying sequel for Ask Me Anything fans and a perfectly self-contained story for those who haven’t seen it.
Another Girl is about the unnatural phenomenon of online relationships—strangers who would never come to know one another under normal circumstances. It is a character-based thriller about a girl who is so broken and in need of human connection that she emotionally invests in a friendship with someone who may (or may not) be a work of fiction.
It’s either a beautiful love story or a cautionary horror tale. The film engrosses its audience by refusing to reveal which until its final moments. Another Girl cunningly sets itself up to go in either direction, making the outcome nearly impossible to predict.
The role of Elle requires Sammi Hanratty to perform solo for a significant portion of her screen time. Much of her performance involves reacting to memories or Katie’s unseen presence. Hanratty meets these and many other challenges head-on. She commands the viewer’s attention with brave vulnerability, disciplined skill and effortless charm. It’s a career-making performance that suggests talent and maturity beyond her years.
On a technical level, Another Girl is nearly perfect. Editor Michael Yanovich maintains a consistently smooth and steady pace. Michael Street’s cinematography is beautifully composed yet unobtrusively observational. Every element of the film is precisely constructed to advance the story while carefully remaining inconspicuous.
There’s truly nothing to compare Another Girl to other than its predecessor. Both films are similar in their styles and executions, but ultimately serve different purposes. Ask Me Anything is a mysteriously haunting film that astutely sums up a generation of lives lived online. Another Girl’s intentions are a bit blunter, though equally effective.
Fully describing the powerful emotions that Another Girl evokes would only spoil it. It’s fair to say that the film succeeds in what it sets out to accomplish. It toys with its audience’s expectations in the most masterful, elegant and mischievous of ways. And being toyed with has never been so rewarding.
GRADE: A
