DADDY ISSUES: A Bittersweet & Sexual Coming Of Age

I’ll be honest, I had some reservations prior to watching Amara Cash’s Daddy Issues. Images flashed in my mind of exploitative kinky sex and a simplistic approach to familial relationships. Instead what I viewed was a thoughtful character study, provocative on paper but for the most part a complex examination of love in all its forms, and how it can become corrupted.

The artistic and rebellious (yet reserved) Maya dreams of attending an art school in Florence, a getaway from her uncaring family and the loneliness stemming from the lack of her father who left several years prior, as well as from living as a young lesbian. While getting the money together, she finds solace in cyberstalking Jasmine, a beautiful and stylish girl on Instagram who secretly has a kinky sugar daddy paying for her luxurious lifestyle. When Maya and Jasmine finally cross paths, they enter into an intense and tumultuous relationship, complicated by the latter’s source of financial stability.

There are very few characters in this extremely short film which clocks in at under 80 minutes without credits, and it is all the better for it. The pacing and focus are tight, and whilst some montages may linger on for slightly too long, it never feels as though a scene is unnecessary. The progression is by no means predictable, and whilst the short length is a double-edged sword that somewhat stifles character development, Maya as the protagonist feels complex and well motivated.

Aesthetics and Motifs

The candy-coated aesthetic will likely be the most memorable element of this film for most people. Cash cleverly, though rather disturbingly, connects Maya’s immaturity and naivety to the sugar daddy Simon’s fetishisation of childhood imagery through a pastel pink and blue colour scheme, which is also suggestive of the gender roles central to the plot of the film. Maya’s pale pixie style contrasts well with Jasmine’s more risque and dark outfits, serving as invaluable visual cues for the viewer to gain a greater understanding of their characters.

Cash frequently makes use of montages reminiscent of beauty vlogs when depicting the more romantic and idealistic scenes of Daddy Issues. These, as mentioned previously, have a tendency to drag on and make a feature film feel like a music video. Though this is part of the glamour and appeal of Jasmine for Maya; she is like an unattainable ideal, beautiful and confident in her sexuality, and visible only via the rose-tinted glasses of social media.

Performances

Although by no means terrible, this character study could have been improved somewhat by casting a different actress for Maya. Whilst Madison Lawlor certainly looks the part, an uncertain waif with a flair for physical performance, her line deliveries are reminiscent for me of Kristen Stewart’s performance in the Twilight series – breathy, samey, and mostly just makes the character sound pissed off 90% of the time. Unfortunately, a more varied and mature performance from Lawlor may have brought this film from fine to great.

Though she isn’t given much to do, Montana Manning is captivating as Jasmine, fully realising the alluring and sensuous character established in the script, as well as giving her a toughness that aids Maya’s character development well. Andrew Pifko does a decent job as Simon as well, occasionally becoming a little hammy but believably sympathetic and troubled in most of the scenes in which he features.

Daddy Issues is at its core a romance between two young and confused girls. But although their feelings may be somewhat muddled, the sexual attraction on both ends is clear. Cash is unhesitant in depicting female sexual pleasure, made not for a male gaze but as a meditation on sapphic sexuality often disregarded in mainstream films that portray gay sex as a source of humour or titillation for a largely straight audience.

The intensity in these scenes is heightened by intimate close-ups and lingering long takes, as opposed to a more voyeuristic approach that slices the female form into sexual organs. The sex is awkward, unabashed, and emblematic of Maya’s awakening.

But despite this, for many LGBT people some of the attitudes displayed by characters, particularly Maya, could prove problematic. There is a scene where the nature of Jasmine’s sexuality is discussed, and her refusal to place a label on herself elicits a sceptical reaction from Maya.

As the audience is almost definitely aligned with Maya at this point, there is an implication that Jasmine’s choice to not label herself is seen as an inability, foreshadowing her psychological issues that become more prominent later in the runtime. This strict and binary approach feels strange to me for a film that is so complex in other areas of its storytelling.

Conclusion: Daddy Issues

Certainly not perfect but a very interesting watch, Cash’s debut feature film is a well-executed musing on family, sexuality, and potentially even the Electra Complex. With such a short runtime, if you are interested in LGBT cinema or emerging and exciting directors that tell modern stories for contemporary audiences, you should certainly check it out. You may feel uncomfortable at times, but Daddy Issues adds complexity to the theme of beauty.

Do you think Daddy Issues provides an interesting portrayal of an LGBT relationship in 2018? Let me know in the comments!

Daddy Issues will show on June 14, 2018 at Outfest Los Angeles.