Set in a religiously conservative town, Watching the Boys follows a sapphic love story between Sera and Mia (a new member of the small community). The town itself has a reputation for their prom queens not living long after their crowning, and in the case of the protagonists of this most recent film produced by Angelwood Studios, the curse is very much a real thing. To avoid giving any spoilers, I’d say that the film had a heightened level of suspense and intrigue and the winding plot left me highly anticipating what would happen next.
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| ID: Still of Sophie Joblin, Castille Le Chatelier, and Sofia Hattiangadi. Credit: Angelwood Studios |
Almost two years in the making, Watching the Boys is the studios’ longest film, a spinoff of The Ridge Grave Girls released in 2023. Steadily paced, my heart went out to the three main protagonists (Mia, Sera and Estelle) who were tangled up in a web of fear, love and at times jealousy. The quiet atmosphere of the film gave room for audiences to enjoy the development of the characters and their dynamics – writer, director and producer Junko Karo emphasising the film’s interest in characterisation and the complexities of female queer relationships. The performances of Castille Le Chatelier (Mia Meadows) and Sofia Hattiangadi (Sera Angelos) were excellent, and had a wonderful romantic chemistry that left me grinning at the screen. Sophie Joblin, playing Estelle Adair, managed to convey the complexities of her character well, becoming someone I felt increasingly sympathetic towards as the film went on.
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| ID: Mia's love letter to Sera. Credit: Angelwood Studios |
The film was incredibly satisfying to watch (shout-out to Tessa Muhle – director of photography), with great care going towards the distinct colour schemes of the warm-toned romantic scenes, and cool toned tense and sad moments of the film. Although much of Watching the Boys was set in recognisable places of St Andrews and Pittenweem, the skill of the cinematographers and camera crew left an overall impression of the town as being a place both recognisable and distinctly removed from our present reality. The nostalgic atmosphere of the Angelwood – discussed by Mia and Sera in the film – really came through the screen and emphasised the beauty of St Andrews.
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| ID: Still of Castille Le Chatelier and Sofia Hattiangadi. Credit: Angelwood Studios |
I’d also like to give a special mention to the careful costuming and the time that was taken to craft distinctly unique colour palettes for the three main protagonists. Not only did each character feel believable through the performances, but their reality and uniqueness were also emphasised by the costuming arranged by Joanne Yau. Everything, from Sera’s colourful pink sweater to the necklaces worn by Mia and Estelle, were wonderfully put together and really added to the film’s depth and visual richness. I’d love to commend Joanne’s crocheting skills, as she skillfully created some of the pieces in Sera’s wardrobe which is highly impressive!!
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| ID: Still of Sofia Hattiangadi and Castille Le Chatelier. Credit: Angelwood Studios |
Visuals aside, the scoring of Watching the Boys needs its own moment of appreciation. Consisting of five main themes, composers Abena Oppon and Lorraine Wong expressed that finishing the musical score for the film took a year to complete. With subtlety and beauty, the music added to the quiet and sometimes sinister emptiness of Angelwood. The score wonderfully complimented what happened on screen and enhanced the ever-changing atmosphere of the film’s storyline. If the team ever considers releasing the score separately for viewers to listen to – I’d be very excited about that!
The hard work of the cast and crew put towards the creation and production of this film has certainly paid off! If you like sapphic love stories, a bit of jealous drama and the suspense of unexplained curses then I completely recommend checking out Watching the Boys. If you’ve already seen this film then it’s definitely worth checking out the other films produced by Angelwood Studios. Keep your eyes peeled for their future releases, I know I am certainly looking forward to their next one!!
By Mariya (they/them)