#Sundance Review: Troop Zero
What do you get when you encounter a young girl who is obsessed with both outer space and making her mark on the world? You get Troop Zero. Directed by the female duo Bert & Bertie, Troop Zero is a mostly heartwarming hybrid of a comedy and drama. The film follows the pitfalls and ambitions of Christmas Flint (Mckenna Grace), a young girl being raised in 1977 rural Georgia by her single father, Ramsey (Jim Gaffigan). Hardly aware of what to do with a child, Ramsey leaves Christmas to her own rearing most times or under the care of his paralegal, Ms. Rayleen (Viola Davis). Christmas, who clearly misses her deceased mother more than anything, believes that her mother now lives in the stars and watches over her from her favorite place, space. When she overhears the local troop is competing in the talent show for a chance to be a part of the Voyager Gold Album and have their recorded message sent into space, she does anything necessary to make it happen.
With her best friend Joseph (Charlie Shotwell) by her side, Christmas is determined to find and band together any girls/misfits she can to create a troop and qualify for this competition. Finding a group of willing young girls proves a bit tougher than what she bargained for. With Hell-No (Milan Ray), Smash (Johanna Colón), and Anne-Claire (Bella Higginbotham) joining her and Joseph, she just needs a troop leader. She must enlist the expertise of real-life rival and troop leader extraordinaire, Miss Massey (Allison Janney).
All of the young actors are brilliant and play well off of each other. Each child has their own quirk, making each of their performances especially unique. Together, they find that what one lacks, another makes up for, making them the perfect troop. They succeed in driving home that this group of misfits has heart, wit, and they never cease to overcome unrelenting adversity. They learn to have each other’s backs, and the true meaning of friendship and hard work from becoming a part of a troop. They define their own rules and never let anyone else speak for them. When it seems as if they should have no hope, Christmas remains headstrong, leading her crew to a different victory of sorts.
The film is funny, light, entertaining, and plays heavily into the resilience of the human spirit. It teaches adults and kids alike, that we should all continue to learn a thing or two from Christmas’s perseverance and unwavering passion. Davis shines, per usual, in a lighter role that is much needed from her more dramatic body of work. Her interactions with Gaffigan and Janney are stellar, as are each of their individual performances. Did I wish to see more from the characters of color? Sure! Did I still walk away with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside? Absolutely. Troop Zero is the type of film that took me back to my days as a young kid in the ’90s, watching some of my favorite period films that taught me some seriously resonating life lessons. Filled with longing, mystery, and wonder, Troop Zero manages to give this new generation another positive story to look up to.
