AFI FEST film review: 'Pink Skies Ahead'

(Image courtesy of AFI FEST)

Jessica Barden shines in this decidedly alternate portrait of mental health in the dramedy 'Pink Skies Ahead' (screening during AFI FEST 2020).

In short: Set in the late '90s, young college dropout Winona (Barden) is in denial after he suspects she may have an anxiety disorder. Also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Michael McKean, Henry Winkler and Mary J. Blige.

Movies and TV - everything from 'The Sopranos' to 'Silver Linings Playbook' - have successfully created a very specific picture of what mental illness is supposed to look like. 'Pink Skies' tries to unwind all that baggage and redefine what struggling with mental health looks like.

'Pink Skies' has a rather unconventional structure and knowing this ahead of time actually improves the viewing experience. Within the first 10 minutes, Winona's doctor (well, the 20-year-old woman's pediatrician - played by Winkler) points out a long-trend of ailments that all point to an anxiety disorder. And everyone around Winona low-key agrees to varying degrees. The audience and most of the supporting characters know Winona should probably see a therapist - a suggestion she quickly dismisses because she's "totally okay."

All this setup is established pretty early on, leaving the rest of the film to just pull the pin on the grenade ... and wait for the explosion. And this is what makes 'Pink Skies' a captivating watch: Winona does seem, for the most part, like she's "normal." There's no hyperbolic red flags. She's a rudderless slacker yes, but there are scores of films with slacker protagonists who just have to "figure out" their lives.

'Pink Skies' isn't so much a plot-driven drama as it is the slow-burn character study of a young woman in denial, living in a house of cards. Writer-director Kelly Oxford meticulously constructs a story with a protagonist trying her damndest to convince herself that everything is fine, while the script low-key surrounds Winona with events that completely upend her life. The film has a subtle, coiled tension that's so understated that it creeps up on the audience.

The casting of Barden is this film's cornerstone, as she elegantly threads the needle to find an empathetic performance that completely conflicts, in the best way possible, with the mainstream depiction of what mental illness looks like. She's not some caricature of what "going nuts" looks like. Barden captures what high functioning anxiety looks like - a person completely capable of living day-to-day, but completely unequipped to cope with a disorder simmering in the background. And the audience watches her slowly lose her grip as her life slowly unravels on virtually every front.

Final verdict: 'Pink Skies' is an eye-opening portrait of anxiety disorder that destigmatizes an all-too-common mental health issue. It's lack of melodrama and sympathetic emphasis on the person on a slow downward spiral make 'Pink Skies' more vital than is obvious at first blush.

Score: 4/5

'Pink Skies Ahead' screens at AFI FEST. This drama is not yet rated and has a running time of 94 minutes.