Cinema Review: Virginia Minnesota (2019) is a feel-good story about friendship and renewal

Virginia Minnesota (2019), directed by Daniel Stine, is a heart-felt film with the right mix of drama, comedy, and adventure. The story is about two young women—Addison (Aurora Perrineau) and Lyle (Rachel Hendrix)—who embark on an illuminating 24-hour journey, unlocking long-forgotten memories and exploring a world of fantastical creatures. There are both comical and touching results along the way. In the end, they realize what it means to truly believe and how their friendship can overcome any obstacle. Viewing this movie is a feel-good experience; this is a story the world needs right now.

Addison and Lyle were childhood friends torn apart by a tragedy at the school they attended together. Now, in order for a will to be opened, a group of the former students need to be present at the school. Addison refuses to show up, so Lyle steps up to go get Addison and bring her to the school. The contrast between the personalities of the two women—and their current professions—is apparent. Addison is a cynical tour-guide who wears Viking garb and gives monotonic history lessons about the Nordic people to unimpressed tourists on ship-based excursions at sea. In contrast, Lyle is a nomadic travel blogger always up for a new adventure with her robotic sidekick named “Mister”. It is fun to witness the young women reconnect after many years; it is easy to cheer for Lyle as she convinces Addison to embark on the journey.

The comedy elements of the story provide some relief to what is otherwise somber subject matter. For example, the women steal a car from Addison’s ex-fiancee, evade the police, and run through the woods. The wonderful production values of this indie film are in full bloom when the women experience a “Terrificarium”, featuring fantastic creatures, carnival characters, and sword-wielding knights in armor. The viewer is pleasantly surprised by this turn of events, and quickly realizes that unexpected things can happen in this film.

Besides the comedy and the visually striking elements, the film has themes of friendship overcoming adversity, and even female empowerment. Addison struggles with the buried childhood memories of the tragedy, and feels guilty about what happened that night long ago. During the climax of the story, Lyle is there to comfort her. Ultimately, the two women had to re-live the incident in their minds in order to move forward with their lives.

The story imparts a real sense of solidarity and renewal, which is very satisfying. The viewer is able to witness the two women overcome obstacles, reckon with the past, and grow as a result. Virginia Minnesota is the type of quality entertainment that everyone should watch. It is like a classic Hallmark movie with mischievous comedy and fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. Highly recommended.

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