Pushing the limits

Has anyone heard of this movie, "Push: based on the novel by Sapphire"? Not to be mistaken for the new Dakota Fanning flick, "Push" (apples and oranges, anyone?), the tiny Lionsgate movie made quite an impression at Sundance and has been making news for pushing the limits of cinema storytelling. Every review I've read has mentioned how depressing the premise is, and they're absolutely right: an obese teenage girl sexually abused by her father, physically abused by her mother just trying to get through the day.

I don't know about you, but the movies I've been planning on watching (read: chick flicks) don't even try to dabble on this heavy stuff, probably because in bleak times, the last thing people want to do is watch bleak movies. But I think there's something to be said for a little film that addresses truly serious issues and even challenges what is appropriate to send to theaters. It's a nice change.

And for a movie that deals with such difficult themes and might not be at all what an audience is looking for these days, it's gotten some serious critical acclaim, not to mention it won a Grand Jury prize, Audience Award, and Special Jury prize at Sundance. That's a lot of hope for times like these