Olive (2011)

Nestled within the golden sunlit woods of northern California comes a rare gem of a film, 'Olive', not yet widely known but has caught the eye of independent film community. Created and executed by Hooman Khalili and Pat Gillis, Olive tells the story of a young girl who, without speaking, enhances three people's lives.

Olive begins with the theme of change in seasons and it is clear from the first look this young woman is gearing up to move lives forward. The physical comedy and lack of dialogue is refreshing rather than tenuous. As the movie progress the viewer sees the little girl, Olive, choose three lives she wishes to help; an elderly home-bound woman, an overweight man and a lonely immigrant with a painful past. Without speaking a word she is able to comfort, inspire and show the simple magic in each one of their lives. The beauty of the story lies in it's honestly. There is nothing trite, obvious or simple about her influence-- which is really where the magic really lies.

The most outstanding aspect of the film is it's subtle detail. The movie is tightly written and allows the viewer to engage in the film. Its messages are slowly conveyed and build as the film progresses.

Although one cannot help but be entranced by Gena Rowlands' performance as the elderly woman, all four leads are superb. As the little girl interacts with each target, the joys and sadness of their lives are revealed in the most authentic of situations. One of the most touching scenes is between Olive and the elderly woman. The woman laments that her snow globe no longer sparkled. As Olive shakes the snow globes, she shows the woman that the magic was always there she just forgot how to see it.

Although the plot deals with very tragic issues; obesity, loss of love and deep loneness, the story moves forward well. Every time you think the film is dragging it transitions and progresses. There a many laughs-- and the most beautiful kind-- about the challenges of the human experience. One of my favorite moments was Gena's character buying a new pair of shoes and learning how to use a check card. Watching the elderly woman speak back to the bank machine as it asked for her pin number was darling.

In the end, moviegoers will be able to walk away from this beautiful little film with a smile-- and hopefully some inspiration. For as the little girl shows, the like changes in the season, each of us grow and blossom as we open our eyes to a bit of joy and sunlight.