Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon began his career as a personal assistant to the likes of directors Martin Scorsese and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and based upon his sophomore directorial effort, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, it looks like he was taking notes. Based on the novel of the same name and scripted by its author, Jesse Andrews, the film follows Greg (Thomas Mann), a high school senior who has mastered the art of blending in. By casually making nice with members of each of his school’s many cliques enough to remain liked yet not enough to become a member himself, Greg goes about his days without having to truly commit to anything more than making films with Earl (R.J. Cyler), his best friend since childhood. The two spend their free time paying homage to their favorite classic films with their own sillier remakes, such as A Sockwork Orange. When Greg’s mother forces him to spend time with his classmate Rachel (Olivia Cooke), who has been diagnosed with leukemia, however, his social façade comes crashing down.
Greg and Rachel soon bond and before long, Rachel learns that Greg’s fear of commitment extends to Earl, and even to applying to colleges. As the plot presses forward, Greg is forced to confront his fear of commitment through Rachel, who is simultaneously forced to confront her own fear of what she believes to be her imminent death. The film’s performances are stellar across the board – Mann is endearing yet frangible while Cooke is quietly heartbreaking. The direction is equally as awe-inspiring, and what Gomez-Rejon is able to accomplish in just his second feature should cement him as one to look out for.
What pushes the film past others in the genre however, is its perfectly written script. In balancing an early level of hilarity (which is not at all apparent in the film’s trailers) with later tear-jerking moments that are nothing short of life affirming, Andrews makes the leap from author to screenwriter in compelling fashion. There are several expertly crafted moments in the film’s latter half that are able to tug at the heartstrings in ways that hardly even make sense. This is precisely because they utilize so little – an expression, scenario and swelling score (brilliantly composed by Brian Eno) cover more ground than many long-winded speeches ever could. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will stand as an important film for the generation it represents not just because of its ability to relate on a surface level, but because it delves deeper into the insecurities of many of its own members.
