BWW Reviews: GIRL ON THE EDGE Is A Poignant Tribute to the Power of Caring and the Possibility of Redemption

(The 21st Annual Sedona International Film Festival, running from February 21st through March 1st, is featuring 160 documentaries, features, shorts, Academy Award nominees and specialty films. The following is one of a series of reviews of selected films from the Festival.)

The line between hope and despair is thread-thin. For an adolescent girl, tumbling in a tailspin of woes, the pathway to salvation may be as seemingly simple but as frustratingly elusive as parental patience and caring, a strategic retreat to a place called Maheo, peer support, and maybe even a horse named Betsy Moo. It may take a village to save a kid, but ultimately the kid needs to choose life.

The kid in Girl on the Edge, directed by Jay Silverman and making its world debut at the Sedona International Film Festival on February 28th, is 15-year old Hannah Green (Taylor Spreitler). Already a rebellious spirit, she is lured to a party by Tommy Miller (Shane Graham), an on-line predator, who slips her a roofie, rapes her, and posts her photos on the web. Her world turns upside down and her behavior becomes more erratic and self-destructive. Desperate to save her from herself, her father (Gil Bellows) and step-mother (Amy Price-Francis) bring her to Maheo, a holistic residential treatment center overseen by Hank Taylor (Peter Coyote) and Esther, his assistant (the late Elizabeth Peña). What ensues is Hannah's rugged journey to redemption, marked by the inevitable detours in judgment intersecting with periodic epiphanies ~ and a very special relationship with a horse.

Nestled in the serenity of eastern Utah's mountains, Maheo ~ Cherokee for higher being ~ is a picture perfect setting for Hannah's encounter with her demons. Within the wide open spaces of this sanctuary, between its reflection huts and campfires, and sharing the pain of fellow travelers, Hannah delves into the wide open space of her soul to discover, if not resurrect, her essence.

Girl on the Edge is a poignant and uplifting film of hope, powered by Ms. Spreitler's compelling and heart-wrenching portrayal of Hannah whose obstinacy is the thin veil of a vulnerable soul. This young actress masterfully captures the complexity of Hannah's character. Mr. Coyote, as ever, is steady as a rock, playing the counselor everyone wishes they had. With a fine supporting cast, including a stunning turn by Mackenzie Phillips as Hannah's birth mother, the film is a powerful tribute to the power of caring and the possibility of redemption.

Director Silverman summed up his intentions thus: "To tell a story as sensitive and emotional as this has moved me beyond words. This film is based on a story that's deeply personal to me. It shows how even the most vulnerable can find the strength to overcome unthinkable tragedies, and pays tribute to the people who dedicate themselves to helping them find that strength."

He has delivered in aces! Moreover, he has produced a story that needs to be viewed by parents and teens together in the protective cocoon of their living rooms.