Songs She Wrote About People She Knows

Arabella Bushnell plays Carol, an emotionally repressed woman who has had difficulty expressing her feelings since childhood. After visiting a music therapy group, she learns that it’s easier to express your emotions—no matter how “strange” or inappropriate—if you are singing them. Regardless if this is actually a tenant of music therapy, Carol’s raw emotions bubble to the surface and provide the audience with a unique storyline.

The comedic relief was supposed to be provided by Carol’s boss, Dave (played by Brad Dryborough), but he is just so annoying that it becomes unbearable at times. Imagine watching Dory from “Finding Nemo” without a trace of humor in her quips; it was that painful. After being exposed to Carol’s liberating music therapy technique, it inspires Dave to quit his job (firing Carol at the same time), as he pursues a music career to express himself.

Dave is energetic and talks in a quick-paced manner with little to no purpose to what he’s saying that it makes you dizzy by the time it’s time for the rebuttal from his co-stars (similar to the effect I tried to achieve in that sentence). There are a few comedic gems when Carol breaks into song to express her feelings towards Dave, but it remained frustrating and unanswered why Carol continued to follow Dave’s character throughout the film. I would have been okay if we never heard from Dave again once he left to pursue his musical career; it would have made for a much more enjoyable film.

The duo meets a music producer named Silent G (Ross Smith) who provides them with studio space to record their musical expressions. Silent G was a likeable character and should have been introduced into the film a lot sooner. At an 80-minute run time, “Songs She Wrote About People She Knows” is worth a watch.

Written and directed by Kris Elgstrand, this film is being shown during the 2015 Indy Film Festival. Follow this link for exact show times and more information on this screening.