Manny and Lo

with Scarlett Johansson, Aleska Palladino, Mary Kay Place
Written and directed by Lisa Kruger
(Sony Pictures)
by J. Lianna Ness

11-year-old Amanda and 16-year-old Laurel – aka Manny (Scarlett Johansson) and Lo (Drew Barrymore-esque newcomer Aleska Palladino) – are sisters who run away from separate foster homes to live life together. To elude authorities who may be looking for them, they travel from town to town in an old station wagon. They live by their wits, stealing food from convenience stores, and occasionally breaking into model homes at night to sleep in a real bed. When Lo becomes pregnant, they kidnap a maternity store clerk named Elaine (Mary Kay Place) who appears to be an authority on all things medical and maternal. They break into an isolated vacation country home and take up temporary residence while waiting for Lo to carry her pregnancy to term.

At first, their hostage retaliates by going on a hunger strike, and secretly keeps a daily track of every possible combination to the lock that keeps her shackled at the ankles. As Lo’s pregnancy progresses and she starts experiencing the pains of impending motherhood, Elaine’s compassion for the troubled, mixed-up teenager and her intelligent, understanding little sister begins to surface. But Elaine is not who she appears to be and has a hidden agenda of her own. Her past is only hinted at and we learn only what the other two characters learn: In one of life’s Catch 22s, when she was young and healthy enough to become a parent, she was too self-absorbed, ambitious, and not ready for the responsibility; but now that she wants children, she’s too old to have any. Toward the end of the film, this unlikely group of misfits form a strange, but powerful bond that just may change their lives forever. Scarlett Johansson as Manny does a wonderful job portraying the typical, inquisitive 11-year-old girl that many grown women will remember having been. Aleska Palladino’s performance is top-notch for a feature film debut. Lots of funny cinematic moments, strong, solid dialogue, and interesting characters make Director Lisa Krueger’s first feature-length film outstanding.