Erin Kelly stars as Annabelle, a rebellious teenage girl who is forced to live and attend a strict Catholic school for girls.  Her roommates are a mixed bag.  Colins (Breckenridge) is a tremendously shy girl who is prone to cutting.  Kristen (Horn) is the ultimate good girl. Cat (Fudickar) is the bad seed, unable to resist the urge to say the things that need not be said.

Annabelle's poetry teacher is Simone, a former student of the school and niece to Mother Immaculata, the headmistress.  There is an instant connection between Simone and Annabelle.  They intrigue each other.  Annabelle is the bolder of the two, testing the boundaries of their teacher-student relationship with innuendo and flirtatious body language.

It soon becomes clear that both of them have loved and lost.  Each is damaged goods, to some extent, with emotional baggage that they will have to work through.

Mother Immaculata is not to be tested.  She is very strict with Annabelle, who flaunts the dress code and is clearly not interested in Catholic principles and traditions.

Inevitably, Simone and Annabelle begin to see each other off the school premises and the film explores not one, but multiple taboos -- especially to the devoted Catholic community.

The film works tremendously well despite a seemingly rushed script.  It succeeds primarily because the story always feels tremendously authentic and gentle.  It never ventures into the lurid or the sensationalistic.  "Loving Annabelle" has the weight of truth behind it and, as a result, makes it easy for the viewer to care about the characters and the outcome.

The other tremendous strength is the great cast.  Each one of the actresses brings a unique and memorable slant to their roles.  The two leads deserve special praise.  Erin Kelly is unquestionably a new star.  Her screen presence is utterly electric at all times.  She commands the screen and manages to hold the viewer's attention with incredible range and devastating vulnerability.  Mark my words, Erin Kelly is here to stay!

Diane Gaidry is also distinctly talented.  She has the ability to convey tremendous pain without words.  Her eyes are very expressive.  Breckenridge, Horn and Fudickar are the perfect supporting cast, each able to complement and play off the others.

"Loving Annabelle" is a special film that deserves so much more attention than it will get.  It is a lovely, heartfelt romance and a biting drama with hints of real wit and insight.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  I will certainly seek out any future projects involving the director and the cast.  I highly recommend you seek the film out on DVD -- hopefully you have a decent rental store near you that will stock at least one copy.

Michelle Horn, Gustine Fudickar, Laura Breckenridge, Erin Kelly
The Cast of "Loving Annabelle"