Welcome back to another issue of Your Movie Mage, where I discuss underrated movies across genres. Last week, we discussed the low-budget and highly underrated Taika Waititi film, “Boy.” This week we’ll be talking about “The Cat and the Moon” which is another completely unknown film. I have yet to meet another person who has seen this movie, despite it being very well done. Alex Wolff — known for his role as himself in the Nickelodeon television series, “The Naked Brothers Band” and various other films both big and small — makes his directorial debut with this film. Along with directing the film, he wrote and starred in it, making it a clear personal project that meant a lot to him. The passion, time and energy that he put into this film comes across very clearly in every aspect.
The story itself is relatively simple: a young man, Nick, is attending a high school in New York City temporarily while his mother is in rehab. He’s struggling with the loss of his father, which is being brought to the forefront of his mind as he’s staying with his dad’s old music partner, Cal.
Nick’s rocky relationship with his mom is made clear throughout the film, though his complex feelings surrounding his dad steal the show as we explore the complicated emotions of grief. Nick spirals downward, seemingly not having any positive parental influences. Through his short stay with Cal, Nick experiences having a responsible role model for what very well may be the first time in his life. He experiences consequences and care, despite initially fighting against it and not feeling sure how to handle being parented.
The authenticity of this film is what stands out most. The characters are all flawed, just as teenagers their age are. Each character is putting on a facade that we as the viewers can see right through, just as teens do in real life. The realism of the dialogue and the execution is a testament to what can be done when the writer, director and actors are in complete congruence, which of course they are in this case seeing as Wolff is all three. Being able to master each of these aspects of filmmaking is no easy feat, and while many take on this goal, not many succeed. Though this film didn’t receive very high ratings, I do believe it was very well made and certainly made me feel the emotions it seemed to be intending to draw out.
The run time is longer than most films, landing at just under two hours, but the pacing is good which doesn’t make the film drag on. Every scene is filled with purpose and contributes to the story.
The acting carries this story, as it often does in films that follow a protagonist over a shorter period as a drama. We are watching for an understanding of these complex characters who feel real and relatable; for this to succeed the characters need to be well acted, which they were. Wolff, of course, stood out with great acting. He was able to display a variety of complex emotions without straight-to-the-point dialogue. Despite his flaws, viewers are compelled to hope for the best for Nick and desire to understand why he is the way he is.
The character arcs in general are something that stands out as well in terms of realism. The characters feel real because they have clear motivators and personalities. We can see why they behave the way they do, and no scenes feel as though their established personalities were ignored in favor of pushing a story forward.
What may be viewed as unfortunate, however, is the accurate representation of spoiled rich city kids with no consequences. Luckily, they aren’t the main focus of the film, but they are certainly the largest side characters to Nick. Some people were annoyed by these characters enough where their role detracted from the story. Nevertheless, I believe they enhanced the story, having the spoiled children juxtaposed with Nick, who came from a very different background than them and behaved differently. Of course, he was also influenced by them and at times his behavior was not good, but this is done intentionally.
The music throughout the film stands out to me especially, which makes sense given Wolff’s musical history and its importance not only in his own life but in his family’s as well — his dad is a jazz musician. The songs used elevate every scene and enhance every emotion that is being displayed. In fact, I discovered my all-time favorite piano song from this movie, and I doubt I would have had I not watched it.
The cinematography of this film is very strong as well. Despite already being a big fan of Wolff, the cinematography is what drew me to this film in the first place. Seeing the scenery of the city in the fall and winter atmosphere was beautiful. It captured the feelings of being a teen in such a vast space with seemingly limitless possibilities, yet it also matched the depressing and frantic tone of the film very well, with strong contrast and lights as well as deep and dark colors that popped.
I give “The Cat and the Moon” an underratedness score of 4/5. It isn’t a perfect movie but it’s highly underrated. As I mentioned, I have heard nothing about this film and it feels as though I’m the only one who has watched it at all. It’s a great movie with strong cinematography, amazing writing, acting and a beautiful score. It’s an incredibly strong directorial debut for Wolff who clearly put a lot of time and energy into it. If you like indie coming of age films that deal with depressing topics, you should give it a watch.