By Minenhle Zikhali
IF, an animated comedy drama, written and directed by John Krasinski, which was released recently, follows the life of a young girl, called Bea (Cailey Fleming), who discovers that she can see long-lost imaginary friends.
The film starts with Bea playing in the company of her parents. She then enters a dark room and sees her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) holding a box. The grandmother tells Bea that she used to love playing with what is inside, but Bea replies by saying: “Grandma, I am 12, I don’t do that anymore.”
Overall, Krasinski has done an impeccable job in directing the film.
For me, the film could have had more comedy. To have a film that is categorised as a comedy drama but lacks comedy is just startling.
Also, Krasinski could have added suspense to the film. With IF, you don’t get that feeling of what next?. In the beginning there was some suspense, with the viewer wanting to know why Bea suddenly changed from being the happiest girl to being a sad one.
In addition, I was curious to know what happened to her family when she was going through the family pictures. However, as the film went on I kept asking too many questions, hoping I would get the answers near the end. To my surprise, none of my questions was answered.
Overall, IF is a good film. It is enjoyable.
