Movie review: Paper Planes
Are you looking for a movie to take your grandchildren to? Something a little different to the usual animated fare, perhaps (though we do love animated films)? You might want to check out a charming little Australian film called Paper Planes.
Paper Planes is about a young boy, Dylan (a charming Ed Oxenbould), who discovers he has a natural gift for making, you guessed it, paper planes. This unusual skill takes our hero from his home in country NSW to compete in the national championships in Sydney – a stepping stone to the Junior World Paper Planes Championships in Japan.
In Sydney, Dylan meets Kimi, Japan’s own Junior Paper Planes champion. The two strike a friendship, and Kimi teaches Dylan that it’s not always about winning – and muses that it would be wonderful if the competition were instead about creating something beautiful. The film has mini lessons and teachable moments like this scattered throughout, but the biggest of these concern winning, and the different ways people deal with death. Dylan’s relationship with his father (Sam Worthington) is uneasy, and is the true heart of this film, as they each come to terms with the recent death of Dylan’s mother.
Paper Planes is one of those sweet films that will have you laughing, crying, and ultimately cheering. And just might see you creating paper planes with your grandkids when you get home.