Banana Split – A Film That Leaves You Split In The Middle

The 2010’s without a doubt proved to be the best decade for high school coming of age films. With absolute gems such as Booksmart and Lady Bird, these types of films are more prevalent than ever. Director Benjamin Kasulke recently joined this wave of films with his debut film Banana Split. The film tells the story of April (Marks) and Clara (Liberato), two recently graduated high school students who form a strong friendship over summer. The problem? Clara’s dating April’s ex Nick (Sprouse). 

Banana Split manages to create a decently well done story that is for the most part entertaining, clever and most importantly real. With well acted performances from both Marks and Liberato as Clara and April respectively, the duo’s chemistry is impeccable. Sprouse as boy toy Nick reminds us why he and his brother Cole have been dominating teen tv and film since 2005. The sense of realism in this film is insane. In fact, it’s hard to recall a film that has been so accurate at portraying a Gen Z story in recent memory. Everything from the way these characters act, the things they do and how they do it feels so accurate to something an actual teen does in 2020. 

What is surprising for a film that has fallen under so many radars, Banana Split features a stacked cast featuring plenty of great small performances. Jacob Batalon as Jacob, Luke Spencer Roberts as Ben, and Jessica Hecht as Susan were just a few that truly stood out. All of the characters portrayed by this cast are hilarious in their own way, each bringing a different vibe to the film. 

Where Banana Split tends to dip in quality is the actual plot, although the strong performances keep the film funny and fresh for the most part, the actual story itself tends to slow down dramatically in certain scenes. As all our characters have fully developed and nothing else is left for them, too much obnoxious back and forth exposition becomes a bore. Nevertheless, the films unique take on the typical coming of age film by mainly focusing on the chemistry between April and Clara’s relationship instead of either of the girls relationships with Nick makes for an interesting perspective not usually seen in a love triangle film. 

Teens will surely be interested in Banana Split but audiences who find themselves outside of the film’s intended demographic are sure to not relate to its story while finding it more annoying and uneventful. However, for a directorial debut the film is a solid effort, showing that Kasulke possesses tons of potential.

*still courtesy of Vertical Entertainment*

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Jaeden Noel