Fourteen

Fourteen is a 2019 American independent film written and directed by Dan Sallitt. The film tracks a mentally ill woman's decline over the course of a decade as seen through her longtime best friend's eyes. It stars Tallie Medel and Norma Kuhling. The film had its world premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival on February 8, 2019, and was picked up for U.S. distribution by Grasshopper Film. Plot Mara is an aspiring writer who spends her days as a dedicated and slightly frustrated teacher's aid. Her main source of excitement is her childhood friend Jo, a freewheeling social worker who frequently calls upon Mara when she finds herself in some sort of self-inflicted crisis. It's a familiar routine and Mara knows her role; she is there to comfort Jo and extricate her from whatever new dramatic situation she has found herself in. The two women couldn't be more different from one another, but they have a lasting bond that appears to have united them through the ups and downs of friendship. After Jo is fired from her latest job for regularly showing up late, she begins a downward spiral of depression and drugs that Mara has increasing difficulty understanding. The dynamic of their relationship shifts over a decade as the women's lives diverge, both moving through jobs and a rotating cast of boyfriends as Mara finds her footing and Jo stumbles.