Tallulah (2016)

Tallulah feels special because it takes a premise that could’ve been lurid tabloid drama and turns it into something humane, funny in the way real life can be funny, and quietly devastating. Sian Heder directs with a steady hand, letting the story breathe while her screenplay finds compassion for every messy person in the frame, even when they’re making awful choices. Elliot Page gives Tallulah a ferocious, wounded intelligence, and Allison Janney is magnificent as the woman who doesn’t quite know whether she’s offering shelter or trying to fill a hole in her own life—their rapport becomes the film’s beating heart. It’s not a light watch, since it deals with neglect and panic in emotionally intense ways, but if you like character-driven dramedies that earn their tenderness instead of begging for it, this one stays with you.

Tallulah is aiming for a messy, human dramedy about loneliness, maternal instinct, and the kind of bad decision that snowballs into a life-altering lie, and it does land some real emotion thanks to committed performances (especially Allison Janney’s grounded warmth). The problem is the setup leans hard on coincidence and credibility-stretching choices, so if you’re the type who can’t relax when a plot depends on people acting unrealistically, you’ll be irritated more than moved. It also isn’t as subtle as it wants to be, sometimes pushing its themes with a melodramatic shove and taking its time getting where you already know it’s headed. Worth a look if you like character-driven indie dramas with a bittersweet tone, but skip it if you need tight plotting, realistic consequences, or a lighter “comedy” than the genre label suggests.