Very fun, charmingly goofy, and incredibly sweet, small release Sketch is an under-the-radar family-friendly gem. I’m leading with this because one look at the plot, which centres on a forlorn girl’s disturbing monster drawings that come to life and try to kill people, may give parents the false impression that this isn’t appropriate for (older) kids.
But like I said about The Wild Robot, which made death fun again, cinema’s in desperate need of family films willing to dig a little deeper and go a little darker to match the maturing minds of younger audiences.
Amber (Bianca Belle), an avid drawer, has channelled the feelings of losing her mother into illustrations that have—let’s say—raised an eyebrow at school. While her eye-ders (eyeballs with spider legs) are creepy in a cute way, her sketch of a frightening figure stabbing a certain classmate in the stomach warrants some closer attention.
Meanwhile, her brother Jack (Kue Lawrence) fixates on trying to “solve” the situation after he discovers a superpowered pond while their father Taylor (Tony Hale) just wants to manage this new life of being a solo parent—though taking down photos of their mum and selling the family home might not be the best course of action.
This all culminates to Amber’s dark drawings coming to life. It may sound like a Goosebumps premise, but while it’s made crystal clear that these wacky-looking monsters are out to kill, the movie isn’t out to scare. The comedic tone’s locked in place when the kids encounter the googly-eyed blue thing on the film’s poster. “His name is Dave,” Amber says oh so casually. “He crushes people.”
Superb child actors Belle and Lawrence sell the dry deliveries these lines demand, demonstrated earlier in a scene where the siblings discuss if there’s a motherless equivalent to being a bastard. Hale, meanwhile, perfectly captures the exasperated look of a dad ill-equipped to monitor this jovially bleak conversation. The script’s filled with humorous jabs that make the morose sound mundane.
Punchier, still, are Sketch’s many monster designs. Here’s where writer-director Seth Worley, adapting his proof-of-concept short Darker Colors, shows his background in VFX, finding a visual sweet spot that gives childish designs weight and substance—Dave lumbers as if his skinny legs can barely support his massive head while smaller chalk-based critters leave traces of dust behind.
Sketch follows the Jurassic Park method of showing just enough VFX to razzle dazzle and satisfy its narrative needs while also masking its small budget (the limits only show near the end with a slightly underwhelming climax).
Dave on paper
Dave IRL
A video of Worley explaining how they punched so high with relatively little money reveals the team’s creative approach to solving costly problems: doing a lidar scan of the main house to make pre-production easier, CGI-ing a simple eyelid to avoid an expensive reshoot, pushing through the pain of shooting on a moving (and broken) bus to bypass bloated bluescreen work… the team worked harder and smarter.
Worley also explained his intent for the film: “It’s not just for families and just for kids. I wanted to keep it from feeling infantile. I wanted the stakes to be real.” This mission statement combined with the film’s indie spirit, I believe, allowed Worley to explore grief in a way rarely seen in a modern family film.
Amongst all the jokes and larger-than-life sequences, Sketch finds moments to keep itself grounded: a troubled girl working through her pain, a concerned brother who’s ignoring his, a dad who is arguably more lost than either of his kids. The film understands the heaviness of grief and balances it out with the lightness of humour and adventure. Without suited execs and random focus groups sanding off the rugged edges central to its themes, Sketch feels uncompromised in its vision and genuine in its intent.
It’s somewhat amusing to read distribution company Angel, perhaps best known for the heavily talked-about box office hit Sound of Freedom, answer the question: Is Sketch appropriate for children to watch?
“Sketch is a heartwarming film that blends humor, adventure, and creativity to thoughtfully explore themes of grief and family,” the Angel site explains. “That said, some scenes may be intense for younger viewers. If you have any hesitations about taking kids to see the movie, we recommend that you view the movie yourself first and, if you’re comfortable, invite your kids along for a second viewing. You know your children best!”
Look, I’m not here to sell you tickets, so I can’t recommend “you view the movie yourself first,” but there will be parents of anxious children who, from what they’ve read here, will know this will be too much for them. Likewise, there are kids who will love experiencing a film for them with a bit more edge to it, and I hope they’ll get the chance to see it on the big screen.
And if you’re still unsure, there’s a more straight-talking / low-key hilarious classification on the Angel site: “Age 8+ (Guild recommended age) scary chalk and crayon monsters and music, 1 sh*t, 5 h*ll, 2 dumb*ss, other mildly crude language.”
