Divorce is a difficult thing to process at any age, and with it being a common occurrence, it’s also one of the most well-trodden story subjects. For every heartbreaking beat of Kramer vs. Kramer and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, there’s also the dark hilarity of Danny DeVito’s The War of the Roses adaptation.

However, when it comes to exploring it through the lens of the child, Megan Griffiths and Eliza Flug nearly pull off a refreshing new angle in Year of the Fox. Focused on the perspective of adopted teenager Ivy, the movie follows her as she balances her time between living with her mom in Seattle and returning to the home she was raised in with her dad in Aspen, Colorado.

As she grapples with her conflicted feelings about her parents’ divorce, Ivy also finds that those she knows in Aspen are changing rapidly, including her best friend Layla, who has become Sєx-positive after their high school graduation, and her father remarrying. However, the biggest conflicts come when she finds herself drawn to an older man, all while Layla begins hiding suspicious behavior from Ivy.

Led by Descendants and Charmed alum Sarah Jeffery, the movie left me quite bewildered at just what it wanted to accomplish and how. My initial concerns of a routine drama were quickly dashed, and its depiction of its teenage characters proved refreshingly honest, much in the way of Euphoria. But much like the HBO show, it has some big problems.

Ivy’s Big Crush Starts Gross & Ends Horrifically

With the opening setup of the families living in two different states, Year of the Fox could have gone the route of Ivy adjusting to her new town while also dealing with her parents’ divorce. The movie certainly toys with this formula, immediately taking away her ice-skating dreams in Seattle and showing her struggling to make any friends.

However, writer/producer Eliza Flug (The Paper Tigers) does away with those tropes and instead keeps us invested in Ivy’s relationships back in Aspen. Seeing her spend time with her dad apart from her mom makes for some sweet moments, while Layla’s encouragement for Ivy to come out of her shell and party feels too familiar.

Things go wrong when Ivy’s immediate and continued focus settles on The Fox, a middle-aged man who floats in the same social circle as her parents. Having first caught each other’s eyes while attending a Lodge party, she finds herself unable to bond with boys her age because of him.

The biggest problem with making this such a big plot point is just how long it wants us to support her in this endeavor. Considering we meet Ivy when she’s still 17, The Fox’s attraction to Ivy is immediately disconcerting. It’s made all the more evident by her dad, Jake Weber’s Huxley, scaring him off while at a party.

As Year of the Fox progresses, and Ivy becomes more disillusioned with her parents, this plotline begins to take a turn towards something more disgusting with the final act twist. The movie’s decision to make this an objective was frustrating, but then I audibly chastised it and wished for it to end.

In looking at the bigger picture, I certainly understand why Flug felt the need to introduce some late scummery into the mix to fit the themes of predatory behavior, toxic masculinity, and ᴀssault. But it’s the actual approach she takes that makes it feel so disjointed, landing between being so blunt yet so safe that it might as well not be saying anything.

The Movie’s Visual Palette Is Bland

With the movie having shared both Aspen and Seattle as its settings, it could have delivered a vibrant and contrasting look to both areas, especially since director Megan Griffiths, who has worked on everything from the downright haunting The Night Stalker to Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, is at the helm.

I was surprised by the blandness of the film’s visuals. There are certainly parts in which Griffiths lets the natural beauty of the mountain Colorado town shine alongside her characters, but so many of the scenes were too similar in color.

While this may not be the kind of movie where a director goes crazy with camera angles or movements, the scenes were too static in their approach. Many of the scenes feel like someone just set a couple of cameras on a tripod and let the actors work, which might’ve been more engaging if the material had been better.

Sarah Jeffery & The Rest Of The Cast Have Done Better

The film’s cast is also disappointing; most of the actors don’t seem all that engaged with the material. Jeffery, with much of her dialogue being ADR narration, spends ample time simply looking off into space thoughtfully, while Weber similarly never lets us feel anything through his performance, even in the film’s more shocking final act.

One of the few standouts is Jane Adams as Ivy’s adoptive mom, Paulene. The two-time Emmy nominee almost feels like she walked right back into her role of Janice from Atlanta, or Dr. Katz from The Idol, with her quippy dialogue, downtrodden-yet-confident outlook, and chain-smoking demeanor.

But even while she proves occasionally entertaining, Year of the Fox is a movie far too marred by its narrative missteps to fully embrace its better parts. The dialogue becomes increasingly predictable and mind-numbing, which makes for a very misguided effort.

Year of the Fox is now available on digital platforms.