Topside
Directed by Logan George, Celine Held
Written by Logan George, Celine Held
Starring Thalia Farmer, Celine Held, Jared Abrahamson
Release Date June 9th, 2022
Topside is a harrowing story set in the deepest depths of poverty in New York City. In Topside, a mother struggles to raise a young daughter while managing addiction and work as a sex worker. It’s a day to day existence unimaginable to most but real for far too many people whom society has left behind. Topside has a bracing reality to it that adds urgency to the storytelling and admittedly, a pushiness to its drama. That said, the acting goes a long way to make you forget the cajoling nature of the drama.
Zhalia Farmer makes a remarkable film debut in Topside as Little, the daughter of Nikki (Celine Held). Little spends a lot of time alone exploring an underground tunnel where she and her mother live among a surprisingly large group of homeless people. That said, most of the movie will place us directly in the perspective of Little and her curious search for security in a highly insecure situation.
Find my full length review at Humans.Media, linked here.
