LFF 2019 Review: ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’
LFF 2019: The Peanut Butter Falcon is an American film featuring in the ‘Love’ strand of the 2019 festival.
A young man with downs syndrome escapes his dreary existence to pursue his dreams in this heart-warming indie flick.
The Peanut Butter Falcon is a charming, heart-warming and perfectly pitched film about the power of friendship, determination and dreams.
We follow Zac (Zack Gottsagen in his acting debut) as he escapes the nursing home he lives in to pursue a wrestling school. He crosses paths with Tyler (LaBeouf) and the two set out on an unlikely adventure together. The path isn’t smooth, carer Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) is on their tail, as well as two angry crabbers out for Tyler’s blood.
LaBeouf and Johnson prove themselves to be dependable talent (both have multiple films at LFF 2019), but Gottsagen steals the film. Zac’s downs syndrome starts out as a defining character arc, but fades by the time he hits the road with Tyler. It’s clear there is so much more to this young man, and Gottsagen hits every emotional beat with ease.
I can’t recommend The Peanut Butter Falcon more. Whether you’ve loved, lost, or just wanted to wear a cardboard birds head, this is the perfect film for any rainy day this autumn.
Running as part of the ‘Love’ strand at this year’s London Film Festival, you can find more information about the film and tickets at the BFI Website.
LFF 2019: The Peanut Butter Falcon. The spirit of Mark Twain lives on in this charming movie about a young man in pursuit of his dreams. Dir-Scr Michael Schwartz, Tyler Nilson.
