CORA BORA (Brainstorm Media)

Cora Bora
Brainstorm Media / Vinegar Syndrome

Video: 1080p High Definition
Audio: DTS-HD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH (via menu)

Buy it HERE from Orbit or HERE from Vinegar Syndrome

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, MovieJawn Podcast Director and Staff Writer

Cora Bora comes to Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome partner label Brainstorm Media. Directed by Hannah Pearl Utt and written by Rhianon Jones, the film is a quirky, heartfelt character study anchored by a fearless performance from Megan Stalter. Brainstorm Media's release is bare bones, so is really only worth the buy if the movie is a must-rewatch for you.

The Movie Itself: 3.5 stars

Cora (Megan Stalter) is a young woman on her own, a musician living in L.A. in a haze of parties, disappointing hookups, and sparsely attended gigs. Returning home to surprise her long-distance open relationship girlfriend Justine (Jojo T. Gibbs), Cora finds her cohabiting with Riley (Ayden Mayeri) who seems to be more than just a casual fling. As we come to learn, Cora is in the habit of obliviously pretending that things are fine instead of dealing with them, which drives her to make a series of poor choices, like getting high with kids, and honest mistakes, like repeatedly losing track of her & Justine's dog, Taco (Chloe).

Bolstered by a supporting cast of charming actors, and in some cases well-known ones at that--Chelsea Peretti, Margaret Cho, and Darrell Hammond all make modest appearances--writer Rhianon Jones and director Hannah Pearl Utt craft an unflinching (or should I say "uncringing"?) look at a woman who is ultimately just barely holding things together, and mostly through self-delusion. 

Cora is a much easier character to love than she is to watch. Megan Stalter imbues her with an innate, flawed humanity despite the fact that she's a particular kind of a-hole. Jones describes the character of Cora in the commentary track as a jerk with a point of view and a point to make. She's rarely rude for its own sake, instead she's a "tells it like it is" type of person who doesn't seem to grasp when that might cross a line for others, or exactly why.

What softens Cora's sharp edges over time is how everyone else in the film, almost to a one, treats her with empathy and kindness. She shit-talks a passing car and gets invited to smoke pot with them; she is brusque with a potential hookup and is welcomed into a very loving polycule; she tries to steal a guy's first class seat on her plane ride home and meets Tom (the fantastic Manny Jacinto) who she will repeatedly run into throughout the film, and whose gentle kindness leads to her opening up for the first time we've seen. Not to bang an old drum, but the way in which women are depicted onscreen, and the way female filmmakers are allowed to depict them, is an important sticking point in culture. The fact that Cora can be as shitty (not to mince words), horny, and messy as she is depicted is a good thing, and should be celebrated. 

My issue with Cora Bora is that it only just starts to take shape as a narrative at its end. We've seen Cora be a terror to herself and those around her through her self-centered actions and behavior, and only at the very end do we learn why and see her take the first steps towards turning her life around. I was ready for another 20 minutes with her, and the vicarious joy of watching her get her emotional feet back under her. Instead we're treated to a brief sort of epilogue showing that she has begun to find more success back in L.A., presumably by being less prickly. It's not wholly unsatisfying, but it feels just a bit too brief.

The Video: 3.5 stars

The video quality is tops for what the film asks of it. This isn't an especially visually dynamic film, but there are some bright colors that come through very cleanly and a real depth to the lighting giving a lot of the film a comforting warmth. Interiors have depth of shadow without becoming all-consuming darkness, similarly the night scenes are all very well-lit whether they’re set in a bar, on a street, or on the rainy road back to the city. Some of the daytime exterior scenes are overcast (it IS Portland), but never become visually monotonous, and when the sun is actually shining, everything is crisp and bright, without washing out.

The Audio: 3.5 stars

Nothing particular to remark upon with regards to the sound mix. I have a three-channel soundbar, which handled the 5.1 mix well. It's not an especially dynamic film from a sonic point of view. The music performances sound great, and beyond that, this is mostly dialogue-focused, all of which was also well-mixed and balanced. This somewhat minimal mix isn’t a failure, to be clear, it’s just that the film isn’t asking a terribly large amount from its audio. Background music, diegetic or non-diegetic, is never distracting; dialogue is always clear and sounds like you are in whatever location--park, bar, home, diner, etc.--while clearly being properly mixed and balanced and not recorded live on set.

The Supplements: 3 stars

This is your standard Vinegar Syndrome (and affiliate labels) Blu-ray case, which is just slightly larger and sturdier than the basic blue ones you might be familiar with. The cover is an image of Cora holding Taco and wearing a fantastic neon leopard coat. There is an image of Cora reclining on her bed in Portland smoking a joint printed on the reverse side of the cover, and an included booklet with some other images as well as an essay from Sara Clements on Cora's journey as a young woman in the middle of a personal crisis.

There is also a version available with a slipcover from artist Brianna Miller featuring a colored pencil illustration of Cora performing onstage on the front, and a collection of characters' heads arranged on a yellow background around Taco depicted on the back. 

Bonus Features: 2 stars

These are pretty bare-bones extras, I'll be honest. The commentary was fun to listen to, but aside from a few fun anecdotes about the film itself--writer Rhianon Jones once dated a Flat Earther, inspiring an early scene--there wasn't a lot to hold on to. They all seem like incredibly sweet, funny people, but I listen to commentaries to learn more about the film itself: the whys and hows of the characters, shots, and casting. 

• Commentary with director Hannah Pearl Utt, writer Rhianon Jones, producer Mallory Schwartz, and executive producer Tristan Scott-Behrends
• Original trailer (2:01) (HD)

Final Thoughts: Worth a Look

Are you tired of the Lovable Loser cliché? You might want to check out Cora Bora. I mean that as a compliment. This is a twist on some more well-worn tropes that you see in character-study films. It's also refreshing to see a warts-and-all portrayal of a young woman going through a personal crisis that isn't judgmental or proselytizing. Cora is a flawed character, but not without reason, and the film is fine with that, repeatedly meeting Cora with patience, empathy, and the promise of a helping hand.