Topside, 2022.
Written and Directed by Logan George and Celine Held.
Starring Celine Held, Zhalia Farmer, Fatlip, Jared Abrahamson, Gino Vento, and Tonye Patano.
SYNOPSIS:
Deep in the underbelly of New York City, a five-year-old girl and her mother live among a community that has claimed the abandoned subway tunnels as their home.
There’s an early moment during Topside that is difficult to believe and, by extension, somewhat manipulative. Nikki (Celine Held, also a co-writer and co-director working alongside Logan George) lives underground underneath the New York City subway tunnels with her young daughter Little (Zhaila Farmer). While there is a relatively kind community down here that admirably paints a positive light on the homeless, this is obviously not a place a child should be. The man in charge, John (Fatlip), frequently pulls Nikki into the shadows insisting that Little needs to go to the surface to get an education, only to be met with promises of almost having enough money routinely.
That’s all fairly standard and reasonable. However, John finds himself alone with Little and, while being polite and affectionate, decides to ask her some basic math questions such as two subtracted from five. Little seems to understand how to count but confuses subtraction with addition. Nevertheless, John keeps coming up with simple math problems that elude the young girl. Now, there’s no argument that a child should not be underground having to learn from fellow homeless guardians, but John doesn’t even try attempting to teach Little more about the concept of subtraction; it’s easier for Topside to manipulate the audience emotionally by having us try to accept that a five-year-old can’t even learn the simplest of math underground.
Little’s lack of understanding of how the world works fundamentally brings to mind the situation in the Brie Larson Oscar award-winning Room. Now, I would have to go back and watch the movie, but I’m sure even that boy knew how to count and do simple math despite growing up under far more horrific and restraining circumstances. In contrast, Topside‘s Nikki, who is afforded some freedom, doesn’t bother contemplating parting ways with Little so she can live a better life until the third act. Worse, the realization only comes due to a contrived but gripping sequence where mother and daughter are separated while on the streets of New York City following a police raid on their living area.
Unfortunately, the narrative’s execution is filled with similar segments depicting endangerment, which is frustrating considering the core performances are pretty remarkable. Amid the overwrought tension, there is a desperate and heartbreaking performance from Celine Held as a woman that would do anything to nurture and protect her daughter. However, the script never really prods into who she is and how she ended up in this situation, to begin with.
It’s also a misguided choice to present the surface world as potentially more harmful than their lives underground. Technically, they are safer underground, but by doing so, the story plants a strange thought in one’s mind that they might be better off homeless down there. Topside is chasing suspense for all the wrong reasons. However, it remains lively and engaging due to the central performances and the below-the-line craftsmanship, which uses disorienting shaky cinematography and impressive tracking shots highlighting the characters’ anxiety and paranoia. Still, it’s not enough to save Topside from quickly going downhill.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
