Laggies (2014)

It was incredibly unfortunate that the first time I became familiar with writer/director Lynn Shelton was when I heard she had passed away on May 16, 2020. She had an extensive career in directing episodes of television series such as Glow, The Mindy Project, and Fresh Off the Boat. She also made eight feature films. Her 2014 movie, Laggies, is currently streaming on Netflix, so I watched it the other night and found it to be fantastic. It’s a really sweet film filled with plainspoken comedy and contemplative themes of adulthood and aging. Of her feature film directorial efforts, Laggies is the only one Shelton did not write herself. It was written by Andrea Seigel, who I think did an excellent job with the script. The film looks at the quarter-life angst of Megan (Kiera Knightley), who is on the precipice of a major decision that will determine the rest of her life. In a moment of panic, she walks away from everything, taking a break from her life. In this time, she befriends a high schooler named Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz). This friendship allows Megan to relive her adolescence as she contemplates in which direction she ultimately wants to take her life.