"Unicorn ownership is both a rewarding and serious undertaking."
Brie Larson kicks off her directing career with the mystical and extraordinary story of Unicorn Store. The film follows glitter-clad Kit, who has been kicked out of art school and has moved back in with her interminably cheerful parents. She gets a new job at a firm, and we see her daily struggle of making her colourfully eccentric life blend in with the mundane world of adulthood. Despite her efforts at maturity, she soon receives an invitation from a mysterious store, promising her a real life unicorn; something that she has dreamed of owning since she was a young girl. The only catch: Kit has to prove that she is wholly ready for the responsibility.
This film serves as a metaphor for childhood dreams and being true to who you are. It's been said a lot but the main issue here is that it feels too childlike to be for adults, yet too mature to be for children. This means that the film struggles to find its crowd, and makes it hard to fully work for any specific audience. Regardless of this, it has to be said that there was something about it that was actually very lovely, and manages to make you feel very warm.
Despite Captain Marvel still being on a number of cinema screens across the world, this film gave us the chance to see Larson and Samuel L. Jackson reconvene as a duo that worked so well for the MCU. Although Unicorn Store couldn’t be more different from the superhero picture, the camaraderie between the two prove that the chemistry between them works regardless of theme.
This wasn’t what most people thought Brie Larson would choose to be her directorial debut, but instead of sticking to a mainstream style of film, she committed to an entirely less conventional path and I think it was a very brave decision. It’s something unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon and has really played out in her favour, I hope she moves forwards with other pictures just as unique.
This film was very sincere and so earnestly optimistic that you couldn't help but smile. Towards the end, I found it to be exceedingly moving, regardless of whether or not you related to the wistful issues that Kit deals with.
On the surface, Unicorn Store may be a film about a woman who wants to buy a unicorn, but underneath that, it’s a beautiful story about the nostalgia of childhood and the scariness of growing up.