Youth makes you fearless. Often when we’re young, we have these illustrious dreams of who we’re going to be, and we envision all of the things that we want to see. We spend our days daydreaming, writing, or researching about the adventures of our future. However, when that moment finally comes around, as we stand between adolescence and adulthood, the fear begins to seep in. In his debut feature Northwood Pie, director Jay Salahi turns his lens of the close-knit community of Irvine, California. He unpacks the reasons why some people stay rooted in place and time, and others, despite the fear and apprehension, hurl themselves out into the big wide world.
Crispen (Todd Knack), a 20-something, wants more than what’s within his reach. Still living out of his Harry Potter and X-Men filled bedroom in his mother’s house, Crispen is looking for a change. Determined not to get stuck in the same monotonous cycle as his friends, Crispen in all of his floppy hair and holey shirt glory heads to the iconic, Northwood Pie pizza shop in search of a job and a way out.
Initially, the job of slinging dough and delivering pizza is supposed to a means to an end, and escape route if you will. Crispen doesn’t expect to meet Sierra (Annika Foster), a witty and beautiful co-worker. Although he’s easily flustered, Crispen’s relationship with Sierra blooms, causing him to question whether leaving his mostly peaceful suburban bubble is truly the right thing to do.
Influenced by films like Dazed and Confused and Clerks, Salahai is careful not to shame or pass judgment on those who spend their lives in the same place. After all, the journeys of our lives all lead us down different paths. Familiarity and comfort cannot be underestimated. Some people are still healing from the pain of loss and a future that’s been snatched away. The only thing left to cling on to is familiarity. Others are content as they are. Then there are people like Sierra who find that time has slipped away from them.
Without being overly cheesy, Crispen and Sierra’s relationship unfurls naturally over banter at work or heart-to-hearts in the grass. It became one of those romances that nearly all of us might recognize. It’s that one relationship that seemed perfect and effortless in every way except for its timing. Northwood Pie is about embracing the people that come into our lives, but also having the courage to choose yourself and your dreams even if that means leaving your comfort zone.
Northwood Pie is well-paced and mostly funny, aside from some cringe-worthy sexual dialogue during a party scene. Through Knack’s words and Salahi’s lens, the viewer gets a true 360 view of this suburban community’s long-time staple, Northwood Pie, and the people who orbit around it. Whether you grew up in this type of community or not, many of the characters will certainly feel familiar to you as people you’ve known for decades or have just come breezing into your life.
As the film comes sliding into its final inning, Crispen begins to understand it’s OK to want more for yourself or to visualize your life differently. After all, just like Northwood Pie, home will always be there should you need to return.
Northwood Pie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.