A fictional mix of The Circle and Laguna Beach, CRSHD is a millennial dramedy that explores the ails of dating in the social media age.

In the film, three best friends prepare to head home for summer break and plan a memorable night to wrap up their freshman year of college. On a completely separate mission from her friends Anuka (Deeksha Ketar) and Fiona (Sadie Scott), Izzy (Isabelle Barbier), a virgin, is on the hunt for some action. The night unfolds for the trio in ways that are humorous, pathetically sad and wholly relatable to anyone who’s attended a rowdy house party.

A coming-of-age story of sorts, CRSHD excels at showcasing the struggles of collegiate aged girls on the verge of womanhood. In her own unique way, first-time feature director Emily Cohn highlights the impact social media and mobile devices have on the young and impressionable throughout, giving the characters colourful asides to indicate when they’re talking in their group chat or enlarging the Facebook and Instagram profiles of those they’re cyber-stalking.

To be honest, the worst thing about this film is the shoddy acting. The cast is comprised of newcomers who have a tendency to make some scenes even more cringe-worthy than originally intended. The relatability of the overall narrative is what really saves what is, in part, a very hard to watch mess.

CRSHD isn’t as scandalous or well-scripted as the aforementioned reality shows, but it’s mindnumbing entertainment all the same.

Screens:
Saturday, February 15, 4:45 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox