Spring 2021 Movie Review

A Tender Romance That Sincerely Portrays a Teenage Girl’s First Love and Growth

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Spring (2021)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 United States
🎞️ Genre: Romance / Coming-of-Age Drama / Independent Film
📢 Director: Alexandra Swarens
🖋️ Screenwriter: Alexandra Swarens
📺 Platform: Screened at various independent film festivals and available on select indie streaming platforms

👩‍💼 Cast: Alexandra Swarens – Tyler
Emma Maddock – Rose

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🌙 Indie Spirit and the “One-Woman Band” System

Spring is a quintessential independent film made almost entirely by Alexandra Swarens, who served as director, writer, and lead actor. This approach signifies that the film embodies a deeply personal and intimate vision—particularly one that reflects the perspective of a young queer woman, which in itself carries important artistic and cultural value.

• Swarens, by portraying the character of Tyler herself, sought to express the emotional nuances and dynamics of her own creation as directly and authentically as possible. Rather than pursuing commercial success, the film focuses on exploring specific emotional experiences and relational dynamics.

💡 Narrative and Character Analysis

The film centers on the quiet and introspective Tyler and the intellectual yet conflicted Rose—two high school girls whose relationship evolves in subtle and meaningful ways.

• Rose: A brilliant student recently returned from England, Rose is portrayed as the “new” girl who appears perfect on the surface but is internally burdened by family issues, pressure about her future, and a persistent self-doubt (“Do I trust myself?”). Through her conversations with Tyler, Rose gradually exposes her complex inner world.

• Tyler: Played by Swarens, Tyler is quiet, observant, and introspective. Unlike those around Rose, she doesn’t engage in superficial chatter but instead listens seriously to Rose’s philosophical questions. She becomes Rose’s emotional anchor—her “sun,” a figure of quiet stability and understanding.

🪶 Critical Perspective and Limitations: Depth of Characterization

Despite Swarens’s dedication as both director and performer, some critics have noted limitations in the film’s character depth and dramatic tension.

• The “Quiet Girl” Stereotype: While Tyler fulfills the role of the introspective “quiet girl,” the character sometimes feels extraordinarily bland and fades into the background. This could suggest that, in focusing so intensely on Rose’s complex psychology, Swarens may have neglected to imbue her own character with sufficient dramatic depth.

• “Realistic” but Unengaging Dialogue: The core conversations between Rose and Tyler revolve around philosophical themes such as free will, destiny, and anxiety. However, some viewers have found these discussions to be less profound than intended—realistic for teenagers, but occasionally dull in execution. While this can be interpreted as authentic to their age and experience, it risks hindering audience immersion.

👭 A Delicate Queer Coming-of-Age Story

Spring relies entirely on the subtle emotional connection and communication between its two protagonists, rather than on flashy direction or dramatic events.

Through this film, Swarens candidly captures the solitude, uncertainty, and identity exploration characteristic of adolescence. Notably, it boldly centers on a female–female romance (GL)—a subject still rarely portrayed in mainstream cinema—expressing the ebb and flow of emotions and internal conflicts with poetic restraint and visual sensitivity.

The film’s strength lies in its use of lighting and mise-en-scène to create a soft, beautiful atmosphere, as well as in its attempt to evoke emotional depth through dialogue. Although its characters may lack multidimensionality, this shortcoming can also be viewed as the inevitable result of Swarens’s choice to craft a genuinely personal independent film that prioritizes authenticity over polish.

🎯 Personal Rating (Subjective)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★