A Bump Along the Way (Shelley Love, 2019): UK

Reviewed by Kate Marsden. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

A reoccurring image that really stood out to me in this film was the various shots of shoes. For example, when Allegra is hanging out with her new friend that stood up to her (Allegra’s) antagonizers in class, the camera pans down to the girls’ shiny black Mary Jane school shoes. I took this repeated imagery as an indicator of the characters’ advancing developments and as a visual representation of their “steps along the way”.

Another shot that stood out as an indicator of time to me was the close up shot of the 16th birthday cake that Pamela has prepared for Allegra. Allegra quickly acknowledges the cake and also her mother by hurriedly blowing out the candles before rushing off to celebrate drunkenly (for the first time) with her friends. Although the day is about Allegra, this scene just emphasizes Pamela’s loneliness during this time of supposed togetherness and celebration.

This film also expressed the power of silence. Pamela’s labor is shot in silence which I think is quite an effective choice. I also noticed there were a lot of silent still shots juxtaposed after the louder more critical scenes.

The mise-en-scene included lots of bright, dappled lighting that were literal visuals of light and levity among the darker more serious scenes. Even though the film is a dramedy, I agree with other reviews that said it was “a little short on laughs”. Another review also said that it had a “soft-centered conclusion” which I also agree with.

Editing wise, I found the pacing to be a bit slow. The story took off a bit towards the end but it was also had an odd rhythm at times when it came to telling Pamela and Allegra’s individual stories yet also their combined one. One can see however that the  struggles that the two women, one just coming into her young adulthood and the other finally leaving it are different but at their core, the same. But, the tension between the mother and daughter was palpable during the final moments before the climax.

I enjoyed the score of the film quite a bit. It had a melancholic sentimental feel and although it was rather simple it brought a lot of emotion and color to the film.

This film was an upbeat way to commence the Film Festival and a piece that all audiences could enjoy. Everyone has resonated with a a character in this film or at least a part of their story, an aspect of them or has come across someone with any of these characters’ tendencies.

All in all, although the plot line of the film was a bit bland and predictable this piece is an endearingly unique take on a mother-daughter relationship, family dynamics and societal sexual pressures that are put on women (young and old). It also has beautiful shots of Derry, Ireland if nothing else. I also find it inspiring that the creators behind this film are majority female with the lead (Bronagh Gallagher) and one of the producers (Louise Gallagher, Gallagher Films) being sisters.