REVIEW: “Sketch” (2025)

(Courtesy CMADDICT) 

Although they are largely known for creating and producing faith-based content, independent film company/distributor Angel Studios has been getting a lot of rave reviews for their latest release: a fantasy-adventure about a little girl’s drawings that come to life. With a certified “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Sean Worley’s feature-length adaptation of his 2020 short film, Darker Colors, centers on a single parent family struggling to move on after the death of the mother. 

The youngest of two children, Amber (Bianca Belle), turns to sketching dark and scary pictures as a way of venting. Her dad, Taylor (Tony Hale), has a hard time communicating with his children, while his real estate sister Liz (D’Arcy Carden) tries to help them sell their home. When her older brother Jack (Kue Lawrence) discovers a magical lake in the woods, where their mother used to walk, and Amber’s notebook accidentally falls into it, 

Along with Hale and Carden, Sketch features a genuine cast of child actors with believable dynamics and camaraderie, fitting alongside the spirit of recent genre hits like JJ Abrams’ Super 8 or the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things. (Kalon Cox plays Bowman, a scene-stealing classmate who teams with Amber and Jack as the story progresses.) But, perhaps, Worley’s biggest cinematic inspirations came from fantasy-adventures of the 1980s and ‘90s, including kid’s shows like Goosebumps or blockbuster entries like Gremlins (with water playing a key role in this plot) or Jumanji, with elements of Minecraft thrown in. 

That being said, Sketch is a more intense film than many will probably expect. While I’ve seen kid- or family-targeted movies with scarier and more traumatizing content (again, anybody remember the Eighties?), a lot of this movies thrills and chills have to do with its tone, Cody Fry’s chilling score and the sound, creature designs and effects, and some effective jump scares. It may freak really little children out or spook them. 

For older preteens and adults, the otherwise sincere and creative Sketch offers much to be intrigued and entertained by. Full of color (including glitter, crayons, and chalk), danger, suspense, action, and family drama, the film showcases not only child psychology and bullying, but also grief, how people channel anger and confusion through art, coping with those feelings, taking the time to understand others, and the importance (and balance) of expressing yourself, both the good and bad. Ditto the theme of not suppressing or ignoring the emotional pain, giving ourselves time to heal, how people see themselves or choose to, regret, and reconciliation. In an early scene, Amber’s dad assures her, “Do not tell me that I don’t treasure every single thing you ever made for me. Every single thing.” (Emphasis on the word “treasure.”) 

#bereel #bekerianreviews #21stcenturycinema #angelstudios #seanworley #sketch2025 

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