Honor Society is a comedy directed by Oran Zegman, with a screenplay written by David A. Goodman, and starring Angourie Rice and supported by Stranger Things‘ star Gaten Matarazzo. A movie that is quite unique in that it has two distinct parts; the first half is decidedly comedic, nonchalant in form and script, and once the protagonist goes through a shift, it changes drastically to become a more serene, sincere narrative style and form in line with how the story unfolds.
Synopsis
‘Honor Society’ revolves around the high school Senior, Honor, who is intent on getting into Harvard, and will strategize, calculate and manipulate whom and how she sees fit to get what she wants. She is one of the four who stand a chance of getting the sought after recommendation for entry into Harvard….. and so, start her machinations to undermine her three opponents.
Review of Honor Society
‘Honor Society’ is, above all, a very rhythmic film that incorporates the form to the narrative development very well… Yes, the movie revolves around high school events in senior year, and you might expect an innocent account about young love and high school dramas, but it requires a measly five minutes of viewing into the film to realize it is indeed targeting a YA audience. The script is sharp, which we can appreciate with the protagonist’s lines – particularly, during the first half of the movie, where she addresses the viewer by talking into the camera. Angourie Rice delivers those smart and sardonic comments with a coolness that goes to show what a good actress she is.
Midway through the movie we experience a very interesting shift, both in form and narrative, as the story starts to gain more depth in its portrayal of the characters and their interactions. This passage, so to speak, definitely enriches the film. Not only does it give Zegman the opportunity to showcase her versatility as a director, but also that of the cast, who adapt their performances accordingly, and do so well. Speaking of the cast, production has hit the nail on the head with each and every one of its picks to the amusing ensemble of characters in this feature. Of course, we must also mention Gaten Matarazzo, who portrays Michael, the inconspicuous class outsider that as we get to know him in the first part is smart, sweet and innocent, until he surprises us with a very subtle darker side in the second half. That was well pulled off. Which leads me to further comment on the screenplay, evidently. We liked it, a lot, it was different from what we have seen recently, it had good lines and retorts, witticisms and literary references, and it flowed even with the “partition” in the story-line. The photography is good, the editing is even better. The scenography and setting are appropriate, it is not overloaded with effects as the story does not require it.
This movie has much more depth than we initially expected, and it tells the story with an elegance and empathy that ultimately makes this a movie worth watching. We particularly liked the humanity of the story and the way it is conveyed. A warmhearted, yes, you read right, a warmhearted, without being gooey, viewing experience that deserves recognition.
