Bloomington (2010)

Directed by: Fernanda Cardoso | 83 minutes | drama, romance | Sarah Stouffer, Allison McAtee, Katherine Ann McGregor, Erika Heidewald, Chelsea Rogers, J. Blakemore, Jim Dougherty

Child stars have a hard time. Especially if they are trying to lead a ‘normal’ life. Take Jackie (Sarah Stouffer), who starred in a science-fiction series as a young girl, but is now trying to take up serious studies at a university far away from Hollywood. Students stare after her. Some force themselves on her because they love to be friends with her, others don’t like her because they can’t stand it when their famous fellow student enjoys certain privileges on campus. Making friends is not easy for Jackie. When teacher Catherine Stark (Allison McAtee) approaches her, she doesn’t hesitate for a moment. The wildest rumors are circulating about Catherine. The most persistent gossip is that she has already slept with dozens of female students, of whom little has been heard since.

Jackie doesn’t care about that and the two women click right away. A love affair blossoms. Catherine not only offers Jackie, who, as befits a child star, has had to deal with the necessary drama, not only a sympathetic ear, but also takes on the role of her mother – with whom Jackie has a difficult relationship. With her newfound love, which must of course remain a secret, and her successful studies, Jackie seems happy. Until her former manager calls. A feature film is being made of the series she used to play in, or she wants to take the lead again. Then Jackie starts to doubt again, much to Catherine’s dismay.

‘Bloomington’ (2010) by director Fernanda Cardoso promises to be a romantic lesbian drama, but falls short in every way. This is mainly due to the flawed scenario. The motivations of the characters are quite unbelievable. After only a short chat and a furtive look, Jackie dives into the suitcase with her teacher. There had just been a great opportunity to deepen the characters and build up a certain (sexual) tension. Missed opportunity! The relationship problems between the two also come completely out of the blue. With the mother-daughter conflict and the resulting complexities, Cardoso, who also wrote the script, could have done a lot more. The two lead actresses look nice, but can’t do much with the scant script. The fact that the film also has little to offer visually is all the more reason to ignore ‘Bloomington’, because this is really neither fish nor meat.