‘Always, Lola’ Review – Gripping, Yet Funny Coming-Of-Age Drama

A dialogue-heavy film can go one of two ways — long-drawn-out speeches and lecturing or emotional exposé of the soul and the world. Fortunately, and triumphantly, for Always, Lola, it is the latter. Always, Lola is an examination of grief, trauma, loss, and recovery. It tells the story of five friends who, after the death of their friend, reunite to reminisce and, in the process, discover revelations about her death, as well as discoveries within themselves. It is clichéd to call this movie a tear-jerker because it is more cerebral and compelling than simply tugging on the heartstrings. Always, Lola blends subtle comedy with drama while tacking the stigmas of mental illness and offering commentary on both life and death.

Lola (Roxy Striar) is the common denominator of her friend group. The vicarious and free-spirit energy that everyone wants to be around. Each year, she plans a birthday camping trip with a scavenger hunt for her best friends to discover. She and her friends are seniors in high school with the world in front of them and are seemingly invincible. Flash-forward a year later, and it’s a different picture. Lola is gone after an overdose, and her friends, including her twin sister Katherine (Corrinne Mica), try to process the grief over losing her with a return camping trip. There is a surprise – Lola, before her death, planned a scavenger hunt at the site, leaving items for her friends to find, which may also help them come to terms with her tragic passing.

The film starts on the previous birthday, showing the friends carefree and happy. Lola is the life of the party, and yet, as the story unfolds, the audience discovers behind Lola’s cherry attitude and infectious smile is a world of addiction and inner demons. At first glance, and through the character’s understanding, Lola’s death was the result of an overdose caused by bad coke. The coke, seemingly provided by her friend Riggs (Sheldon White), sends him into a spiral, which leads to him becoming sober and carrying around the guilt of his friend’s loss. 

Of course, this is not the whole story. There is a dramatic revelation to the friend group from Katherine involving the actual truth surrounding Lola’s death. This moment is the film’s heaviest scene, as the interactions between the characters feel genuine, and their emotion is palpable. Truth can be uncomfortable, and the film never denies admitting that fact. Each of the characters must confront the truth in a gut-wrenching way. The most robust exchange is between Katherine and Lola’s best friend Camila (Candice Cruz), who later hurls vicious diatribes at Katherine. The performances are raw despite the dialogue-heavy nature; the film never appears preachy or longwinded.

The film has a documentary quality. As tragedy is examined, the loss these characters experience is grounded in reality. However, there is enough soft humor throughout, particularly from the character of Trey (Collin Campana), to keep the audience smiling. Even though a volley of emotional gut punches is peppered throughout the film there is a balance with clever wit. Again, they feel like real people, not characters delivering monologues. 

Director/Writer Jeffrey Crane Graham deserves props for examining grief and loss in a way that never feels trite. The story itself comes from his personal experiences with loss, which adds weight to the material and the film’s direction. He crafts a unique personality in each character, which the actors bring to life with a sense of eccentricity and heartfelt charm. Even in the heavy moments of the film, he pulls back the drama with a quip or quirky remark.

There is a lived-in quality to Always, Lola. The story flows organically, and the characters are never composites. The strongest feature is how the film explores each character’s progress through their grief. The use of flashbacks intermittently allows the audience to understand Lola, as well as her battle with depression. Striar deserves props for her acting; she crafts a character who is both easily accessible to audiences and guarded simultaneously. She paints a portrait of a brave woman who fought until she could fight no longer.

Always, Lola is a genuine and heartwarming crowd-pleaser. This film deserves a watch and recognition for tackling grief with humor and sincerity. The coming-of-age drama has never felt fresher and more nuanced than it does with this film.  

Always, Lola is currently available On Demand courtesy of Good Deed Entertainment. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSaDkOgmK00]