A volatile young woman challenged by everyday social and professional encounters.
A young woman has deep struggles with her work and personal life in Anne at 13,000 ft. Anne (Deragh Campbell) is a woman who works at a daycare, who often finds herself at odds with her co-workers since Anne tends to play with the kids more than supervise them. After going skydiving for the bachelorette of her best friend Sarah (Dorothea Paas), Anne strives to be that high again and have a level of freedom that is missing from her life on the ground.
Anne of 13,000 ft is the third feature film from writer/director Kazik Radwanski (Tower, How Heavy This Hammer) and like his previous two films, presents a slice of the life of a young woman, who is possibly suffering from some sort of anxiety. In addition to the frustration, she experiences working at the daycare, Anne also faces many struggles in her personal life, particularly when it comes to her new boyfriend Matt (Matt Johnson), who does not believe their relationship is as serious as Anne may believe it to be.
Back in 2012, when I saw Kazik Radwanski’s debut feature Tower, I found many similarities between the protagonist of that film and my experiences of having Asperger’s. In a similar fashion, I found Anne at 13,000 ft to be a very accurate portrayal of someone who, like me, suffers from anxiety. While Radwanski chooses to keep the details of Anne’s mental health ambiguous, I could definitely relate with how Anne seems to believe everyone around is against her. Then there’s the very vague ending that can be interpreted in many ways.
In many ways, I would say that Anne at 13,000 ft sort of completes a thematic trilogy for Kazik Radwanski, as he presents three films featuring protagonists dealing with their own individual issues. Indeed, Anne at 13,000 ft is just as much a showcase for up-and-coming star Deragh Campbell (MS Slavic 7, Possessor) as an actor, as it is Radwanski as a director. Campbell plays Anne as someone who is somewhat sympathetic, yet also pushes the limits of what’s socially acceptable. Anne at 13,000 ft also allows us to see a different side of Matt Johnson (The Dirties, Nirvanna the Band The Show), as the man Anne begins “casually dating” after the two met at a wedding.
Overall, Anne at 13,000 ft is a film that continues the progression of Kazik Ranwanski as one of the most interesting Canadian filmmakers of the current generation and his immense knack for creating enthralling character studies.