Review: Well-intended Appalachia-set drama ‘Blue’ fails to gel

The well-intentioned drama “Blue” has some poignant moments, a few nice performances and a relatable message but is undercut by a flat visual style and an often simplistic narrative.

Director-editor Charles Huddleston, who co-wrote with actress Michele Martin, was inspired by the real-life story of a group of Kentucky mountain people with a rare genetic disorder that turned their skin pale blue.

But the travails of the film’s similarly affected title character, simply known as Blue (Drew Connick), clearly apply to anyone deemed “different.” This universality gives the parable its modest power as it echoes such stronger movies about young outcasts as “Powder” and “Mask.”

When the awkward Blue wanders off from his remote hilltop home and into a small Appalachian town, he meets Pearl (Martin), an embracing young woman helping to raise her two kid sisters while being sexually abused by their alcoholic, widower father (Kenny Johnson).

Lost souls Blue and Pearl soon become friends, to the dismay of the small-minded townsfolk, though a few locals (Sean Bridgers, Dale Dye, Kelly McGillis) will prove supportive. That is, until violence erupts and choices must be made.

Unfortunately, with its on-the-nose dialogue, abrupt turns and overuse of fades and dissolves, the film can feel more like a checklist of scenes than a fully plumbed and cohesive work.

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‘Blue’

Rating: R, for some sexual assaults

Running time: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Playing: Arena Cinelounge Sunset, Hollywood

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