CRSHD
You know how sometimes you just need to watch something goofy that will make you laugh and warm your heart? When you’re with your pals, and it’s too late at night for the highly acclaimed-but-devastating Netflix docu-drama, so you’re basically just deciding whether to watch The Hangover or Clueless? Well, browse no further. Instead just type these little letters into your search bar: C-R-S-H-D.
CRSHD is the shallow-but-fun, sex-misadventure comedy we’ve all been waiting for, this time (FINALLY!) made by young women and starring young women!
Izzy (newcomer Isabelle Barbier), Anuka (newcomer Deeksha Ketkar), and Fiona (Sadie Scott, Rattlefly) are about to embark on the final day of their freshman year at college, and Izzy is wistfully looking back on the year, full of regrets that she didn’t get laid, not even once. Anuka already has a boyfriend and has been focusing on classes, and Fiona has been living her best life working at the local bowling alley and making art – but Izzy is determined to lose her virginity before the night is over.
But how? The master plan is to score invites to a “crush party,” an exclusive gathering near the campus of all the coolest and most desirable students at school. And between Anuka’s quick thinking, Fiona’s lesbian charm, and Izzy’s sheer dedication, they sure do end up having a fascinating and, well, educational evening!
CRSHD is super fun and light, but also has just enough “oh, the feels” moments to scratch the surface and leave a surprisingly deep impact. Amid the comedic joy of the actresses and witty dialogue, there were some tear-jerker-type moments that, for me, totally brought back the happy, glowy (and sometimes totally cringey) nostalgia of university life.
The movie is framed and peppered with reminders of its place in the DIGITAL AGE – lots of fun, video-game type graphics tracking our heroine’s trek across the small college town in search of the crush party house. There are also lots of great asides and bubbles popping up throughout scenes to show us texts, tindr matches, and other very crucial social media updates. That, combined with sharp editing by Michelle Botticelli and Emily Cohn, is a cute way of displaying what life in the era of smartphones is really like. It pokes fun at the quirks without being a grumpy, negative representation of young people or modern technology.
I had the good fortune to sit in on a Q&A with writer/director/co-editor Cohn and stars Barbier, Ketkar, and Scott after a CRSHD screening at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring. Cohn and her leading ladies clearly had SO much fun making this movie, and mentioned that not only did it feature a fresh young cast, the crew was very young and energetic as well (like brilliant visual effects artist Dorian Levine, who was friggin’ EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD during production!). There’s something really special, Ketkar and Barbier insisted, about making a movie ABOUT young people, BY young people.
And that’s true. Obviously older and more seasoned directors bring really special qualities to the table when it comes to writing and directing. But CRSHD, like a lot of other special directorial debuts, is able to really shine because of the direct connection between the story, the creative team, the cast, and the crew. There’s a joyful, unique kind of solidarity that comes from working together to tell YOUR own kind of story!
So if this review makes you think of Netflix and chilling with your BFFs, looking back (or ahead) to your own college antics, or just laughing out loud at a charming but bumbling hero who learns to appreciate her life and her friends in a new way, I’ve got good news. CRSHD is a real party, and you’re invited.
