Lucid is a fantastical punk story of a woman on the verge of many things. Mia (Caitlin Acken Taylor) is on the verge of owning her artistry, of a breakdown and a breakthrough, and of remembering things long forgotten. More importantly, she is on the verge of stepping into that magical era where she has no more fucks to give. The film is as raw as its lead character and is a brassy examination of art, patriarchy, trauma, and identity.
The film follows Mia, an art student in danger of being expelled from her school’s art program. She is suffering from a severe case of creative blockage and turns to a magical, candy-coated drug to free herself. However, what should be a fun drug-fueled adventure unlocks dark parts of her subconscious that lead to questions about her youth that she does not have answers for. The quest to unclog her artistry soon turns into a scary journey of self-discovery as she learns what secrets she has been hiding even from herself. To make matters worse, she is forced to deal with her unhealed mother issues.
It’s Messy
Lucid is an odd bird that has many likable parts that never truly work together. It’s messy and imperfect, and seems to love being at that intersection. The movie even makes that one of the threads it pulls at. As Mia is lamenting to her grams that she might be a shitty artist, the matriarch drops some pearls of wisdom. She tells her grandkid, “Women are hardwired to say and make pretty things to make everybody feel good. How about making something ugly for a change? Ugly and honest.”
While this film is visually pretty, utilizing 35mm and 16mm film to further stand out from the crowd, the script is tough to look at in a variety of ways. This is due to Lucid being more of an experimental arthouse project with a narrative, rather than a narrative with those descriptors layered on top. The movie gets lost in the woods instead of sticking to the path. It would rather smell the flowers and marvel in its own splendor than complete a simple journey. There is no shortage of cool moments to look at and scenes that will make recovering art kids feel seen. However, all of these interesting parts never truly coalesce. This disjointed feeling makes for a bumpy ride. Although, it gives viewers a glimpse of what Mia must feel like as she keeps collecting metaphorical fragments herself.
A Gift Wrapped Trainwreck
After Mia’s male professor calls her and her latest piece, “a gift wrapped trainwreck,” she claps back with another central point of the film. During her moment, Mia exclaims, “You don’t understand this because this isn’t for you. I’m not making it for you. I’m not making it for old men. I am sick of the goddamn patriarchy cockblocking every move I make that is remotely interesting.”
Lucid is a Vibe
Writer-directors Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan might enjoy lingering moments and side quests. However, they also never fully let their audience forget that Lucid is foremost about a frustrated artist. While Mia’s frustrations are both internal and external, she has to confront them all to become the bad bitch she needs to be, to make the art come screaming out of her. The film is about owning your shit, working through it, and stepping into your full power. It’s hard to be mad at a movie that gets that, even if it doesn’t fully earn its one hour and forty-nine minute runtime. The movie is a vibe that might not be for everyone, but it knows what it’s about and gets there eventually.