Your early teenage years are not easy; learning to understand your own body's development, developing new friendships and learning what love looks like are things that every teen has to experience. For 13-year old Maggie, it is a lot to learn already but she has more to deal with than an average teen. She has to deal with all of this while having the shock of moving to a new town and learning that she has a rare condition called synaesthesia that allows her to see the world with many heightened senses including seeing color and numbers.
This very sweet coming-of-age comedy stars Shayelin Martin as Maggie and Steven He as Travis. The two begin to build a bond around her father’s play that Travis is Starring in. Maggie, not fully understanding love, begins to develop feelings for Travis even though he is much older than she is. Both Shayelin and Steven deliver exceptional roles. Knowing Steven He from his social media comedy, it was a pleasant surprise seeing him in such a pleasant and grounded role.
The film balances many themes of Adolescence and self-acceptance so delicately while also being silly, Zany and extremely playful. Maggie's Neurodiversity lifts the film in many ways. It is an integral part of her and her story as she navigates life seeing the world in color and numbers. She has grown to accept it as the world she sees and understands and to us the viewer, it adds another level of vision to the already colorful and playful film.
Magnetosphere is an uplifting journey about self-acceptance that is worth the trip. It reminds us to love ourselves for who we are and to accept everyone around us. Most importantly it teaches us that even though we are all living life, it does not mean it looks or is the same experience for everyone.
Magnetosphere is available on demand today.
8/10
Review by: Stefano Bove