Making
Maya" details a high school senior's coming-of-age as
she confronts romance and life after graduation.
Giving a knockout performance as Maya, Amy Minderhout
carries the pic on her shoulders, but an excessively
talky script and ragged pacing render it an unwieldy
load. Though item's theatrical prospects are slight,
Minderhout is eminently castable, and further fest
appearances are all but assured.
Maya is
a sportsman's fantasy: She's slim, blonde and lovely
but shoots hoops like a guy and trains daily (in
Portland). With her best friend and fellow athlete
Mars (Desmond Faison), she resolves to enter a
free-throw contest that could lead to the basketball
career of her dreams. Off the court, Maya's
debilitated mother (Sam Gros) wallows in
alcohol-soaked oblivion, and her school friends
unsuccessfully try to orchestrate Maya's social life.
Only the arrival of an older Amazon (Sara Taylor)
sparks Maya's unexpected desire and prompts a serious
self-examination. Helmer/scribe Rolla Selbak has
fashioned an intimate piece that vacillates between
self-consciously garrulous teen angst flick and
engaging drama. Pic comes most alive when set to
music; Selbak, notably, composed several of its
catchiest tunes.
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