Saving Zoë (film)


Saving Zoë is a 2019 crime drama film, directed by Jeffrey Hunt. The film is written by Brian J. Adams, and LeeAnne H. Adams and the film is based on the novel of the same name by Alyson Noël. The film stars Giorgia Whigham, Vanessa Marano, and Laura Marano in the lead roles alongside Nathaniel Buzolic and Michael Provost. The film was released on July 12, 2019.

Synopsis

A young girl named Echo has just started her freshman year of high school. Echo's older sister, Zoë, was murdered a year ago, and her family is still struggling to cope with the loss. They visit a family therapist regularly, though Echo finds the sessions to be largely unhelpful. Zoë's boyfriend, Marc, was a prime suspect in her murder, and though the actual killer - an internet predator - had confessed and was convicted, Echo is still suspicious of him. One day, while walking home, Echo comes across Marc's new car, and sees Zoë's diary in the passenger seat. She shatters the window with a nearby rock and steals the diary.
Echo later goes to a house party with her best friend Abby, where Echo and her crush Parker share a kiss. She later attends her first school dance, where Carley, Zoë's best friend, persuades her to drink and take pills with her. While both girls are under the influence, Carley mistakes Echo for Zoë and apologizes to her profusely, mentioning something about a video.
Once Echo begins reading the diary, she learns that Zoë had planned to move to Los Angeles or New York after graduation and begin a modeling career. She also learns of an incident where Carley pressured Zoë to join her in hanging out with a 24-year-old named Jason and his friend Tom, after which Zoë returned home visibly traumatized, presented through flashback sequences. Zoë had also showed Echo a photo of Jason the following morning, and gravely made her promise to avoid him if she ever saw him. Back in the present, Echo goes to another party where she meets Jason and instantly recognizes him - their meeting is intercepted by Marc, who drags Echo out of the party and insists on dropping her home.
After school one day, Echo accompanies Carley to Jason's house, planning to retrieve the ominous video Carley had mentioned. Outside, Marc, along with by Parker, who insists on going with him once he discovers Echo may be in trouble, distracts Jason by crashing into his car, allowing Echo to sneak into the basement. She finds a laptop containing video files of Jason and Tom brutally raping several girls, one of them being Zoë. The video also reveals Carley as an accomplice to Jason and Tom, who has been luring underage girls to them in exchange for drugs. Echo is caught by Carley, who confesses that Jason and Tom sell the videos online, and that Zoë's murderer was a subscriber of their website. Jason blackmailed Zoë, promising that he would delete the video if Zoë met with his alleged photographer friend for a "private photo shoot", leading to her murder.
Tom and Jason barge into the basement, knock out Carley, and tie Echo to the bed. As Jason begins packing his car, conspiring to leave the state, an injured Marc stands up and knocks him unconscious. Parker makes his way into the basement just as Echo frees herself, and he calls the police. Tom enters the basement, but Echo strikes him with a crowbar before he can attack either of them. The two men are subsequently arrested.
A final flashback scene shows Zoë asking Marc if she can borrow his car, though not explaining why she needed it - she had been going to meet the supposed photographer. Marc confiscated her diary as a collateral, joking, ironically, that if she didn't come back, he would read it. Upon finishing the last entry in Zoë's diary, Echo says a final goodbye to her sister, apologizing for not knowing her well enough. Sitting on a bench at Zoë's favorite spot that has been built in her honor, Echo begins writing her first entry in the diary that Zoë had planned on giving her as a birthday gift.

Cast

Casting

In 2018, it was revealed that Laura Marano, Giorgia Whigham, and Vanessa Marano would appear in the lead role. After joining the project, they added, "When we optioned Alyson Noel's book Saving Zoe ten years ago, we did it because as a mother, as a daughter, as a sister, and as women, we were incredibly moved by a powerful story. Now, a decade later, that same powerful story seems to be more relevant than ever" and "We are ecstatic that Blue Fox was as moved today as we were all those years ago and are thrilled to be working with them. Together, we hope to share a film that we couldn’t be more proud of with the world." in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Release

In April 2019, it was revealed the film would release on July 12, 2019. It was later released on Netflix in the US, on Amazon Prime Video for all European countries and, finally, it was released on Netflix for Latin America on April 1, 2020.

Reception

Critical response

The film was universally panned and on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on 6 reviews, and an average rating of 5/10.
Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "But even with the occasional voiceover narration, the film can’t quite replicate the appeal of Noël’s original, where a lot of the action is internal, dealing with these women’s opinions and feelings. The mystery plot isn’t surprising enough — and it takes at least a few good jolts to create the cinematic equivalent of a page-turner." Danielle Solzman of the Solzy at the Movies wrote, "You’re certainly welcome to give this film a chance but I left Saving Zoë feeling quite a bit disappointed. I do not see this film as being a complete disappointment but I believe that it could have been executed better. Saving Zoë honestly should have stayed a book." Jennie Kermode of the Eye for Film wrote, "Saving Zoe is, ultimately, a lightweight film about a serious subject. It's competently handled and Marano is an effective lead. It's likely to hit all the important notes for fans of the book but it does little more, avoiding risks and thereby failing to find a voice of its own. If you're in the target audience, then you'll find this a satisfying watch but it will be unlikely to stay with you."