SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
In an attempt to find an outlet for her thoughts, Amber Wyatt (played by Bianca Belle) has taken to sketching pictures in her notebook. After a drawing of her stabbing her classmate Bowman (Kalon Cox) is discovered at school, the counselor asks her if she wanted to hurt the bully in real life. When she nods yes, her counselor insists that drawing the incident, as opposed to acting it out, was a healthy alternative and applauds her for making such a good choice. Meanwhile, her father Taylor (Tony Hale) is still dealing with the tragic loss of his wife and is figuring out how best to navigate his kids’ lives as well as his own. During one of his son’s soul searching strolls, Jack (Kue Lawrence) drops his sister’s sketchbook into the pond. He recovers the book but strange things start to happen, putting the neighborhood, the town and the school at risk.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Angel Studios is known for a laundry list of Christian-centric films and that reputation doesn’t exactly get the everyday moviegoer excited. Matter of fact, you could argue that people are less likely to see their movies because they know they’re about to get preached to.
I’m elated to tell you that SKETCH doesn’t contain any of those biases or messages. Yes, there’s loss, but it’s nothing different than you’d see in any other film from any other studio. Basically, whatever reputation you think Angel Studios has, check it at the door and enjoy the heck out of this movie.
The marketing is centered around Hale because he’s the closest thing SKETCH has to a household name but, make no mistake, Belle is a revelation and carries this movie with great authority. Her ability to balance grief with comedy while finding room to convey childhood innocence is remarkable, a rare find in child actors this young. She will absolutely be on my Music City Film Critic’s Association ballot for Best Young Actor come December.
SKETCH is the surprise of the year, period. We talked about the reputation of the studio earlier but, more than that, when a family movie that’s rated PG comes out, more often than not, it’s cliche, it’s cheesy and even a little boring. None of that is true here, thankfully, and families of all kinds can find value in this indie film.
What kid doesn’t daydream? What kid knows how to deal with the loss of a parent? And what adult doesn’t fantasize about a more innocent time in their lives? SKETCH delivers on all of those things and captures them in a creative, fun and compelling way, a feat not easily achieved.
There was only one special effects package that felt rushed (the cat) and a better actor to play the bully role could’ve been found but other than those, writer and director Seth Worley has a gem here.
We see movies every year that are under appreciated (HERETIC in 2024, PAST LIVES in 2023, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN in 2022, etc.) but, hopefully, this won’t be one of them. After all, August is a tough release month. Summer blockbuster season is over, half the country is going back to school and most studios hold back their top quality films for November and December so any possible award consideration can have momentum. But trust me when I say grab the kids (or grandkids) and find time to go to the theater. SKETCH deserves more attention than it’ll probably get.
JKG SCORE: 7.5
Untitled Film Project 