As you may know, Ms Mansfield recently started the Fyling Hall Film Club. In their first review, member of the club reviewed Napoleon Dynamite. This is what club members, Josh, Joe, Arthur, Lex, Georgina and Caroline & Miss Mansfield thought . . .

The film looks at relationships and character building issues. There is a small element of romance but it’s more directed at different relationships and aspirations. This film is not fast moving and sometimes seems to be awkwardly slow just like it’s characters.Napoleon is the main character, an awkward teenager from a small town in America.  The ‘popular’ people in his school find him unrelatable and he struggles to fit in with his peers. He doesn’t pay much attention to school life and drifts off into his fantasy world on a regular basis. All the main characters struggle with friendships and become drawn to each other in their fight against the norm of the high school beautiful people.

The film is shot to look old and stylised. One theory is that the characters have taken the are visual style through Napoleon’s imagination.
The director looks at single shots and camera transition making the viewer linger on the moment enhancing the awkward.Although this film is slow and awkward it is funny and thought provoking also.

Fyling Hall’s film club gave it it ⭐⭐⭐(three stars).