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In Josephine Decker’s gorgeous young adult drama “The Sky Is Everywhere,” Lennie (Grace Kaufman) is a high school clarinettist who is relearning to embrace the joys of life after the sudden loss of her older sister Bailey (Havana Rose Liu).
Lennie begins the story sad and withdrawn. She suffers with Bailey’s reticent boyfriend Toby (Pico Alexander), and the couple find solace in their shared pain. But then Lennie meets Joe (Jacques Colimon), an attractive bandmate who is eager to take care of him. The young men seem to point out possible paths for Lennie: Toby offers Bailey solace and a secure connection; Joe, new ecstasies mean a break from the grind.
“The Sky Is Everywhere” (on Apple TV+) is based on a novel by Jandy Nelson, who also wrote the screenplay, and presents this adolescent story with rare homage. Too many works aimed at younger age groups are twisted with a sensuality or a condescending tone. Here we take Lennie’s unbridled imagination and worldview in image-filled metaphorical voiceover.
These meditations are fertile ground for Decker, an empath with a divine gift for using chaotic visuals to stir emotions. Decker unleashes an influx of female passion, anger, and boredom in this film, as he did in “Madeline’s Madeline” and “Shirley.”
But don’t confuse it with an oppressive youthful, crying grayscale color. Instead, Decker gets crafty with a tactile aesthetic. Broken rain clouds float across the sky. A teen accidentally getting an erection is a sign of caricatured boing. And in the most captivating scene, Lennie and Joe listen to Bach as they lie in the middle of a rose garden embodied by flower-adorned dancers. The viewer enjoys the moment, and so does Lennie, a ray of raw emotion anchoring a brilliant mix of music and imagery.
The Sky Is Everywhere
It is rated PG-13 for tongue and raging hormones. Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes. in theaters and on Apple TV+.
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