Lynn Shelton’s tragic death was one of many, many terrible events that transpired in the nightmare that was 2020. Luckily, the indie filmmaker left behind a trove of movies for people to discover, from dramedies like 2009’s “Humpday” (a favorite among certain /Film editors) to her work on TV series “GLOW” and “Dickinson.” Today, however, I would like to highlight a film of hers that’s long been overlooked.
Released in 2014, Shelton’s “Laggies” stars Keira Knightley as Megan Burch, a woman who suffers a legit quarter-life crisis after her boyfriend proposes to her out of the blue and she spies her father cheating on her mother, all in one fell swoop. One thing leads to another, and before she knows it, Megan has befriended a high-schooler (Chloë Grace Moretz) and is staying with her and her single dad (Sam Rockwell) while Megan hides from her fiancé and everyone else she knows.
Far from a defect, the movie’s low-stakes plot allows room for Megan to be as confused and chaotic as so many 20-somethings are once it sinks in that they’re truly an adult now, and, as such, have to deal with their problems as one. A gently funny and empathetic coming-of-adult-age story, the film also benefits from Knightley and Rockwell’s surprisingly natural romantic chemistry. Even with their age gap, you find yourself quietly cheering for those kids to end up together.