This was not an enjoyable film to watch, and it took a conscious effort of will to stick with it until the end.It is by no means terrible. In fact, on the surface it should have been my kind of flick. The central teen character is struggling with her bisexual identity. I did that when I was her age. She goes to stay with her offbeat bohemian aunt who is a celebrated author, academic, and general all-round intellectual. Well, I used to stay with my offbeat bohemian grandma, who was a celebrated author, academic, and general all-round intellectual. So I should have, at least to some extent, related to this film.But from the outset the whole movie just reeked of intellectual masturbation, of the sort frequently perpetrated by film students.Technically it is more competent than a student film, although many of the secondary characters are played by actors who seem inexperienced and lacking technique.The script is uneven, and way too verbose - to the point that it seems to be deliberately alienating the audience, rather than drawing them in. The direction does the same thing (no surprise since it was directed by the writer), and the first two thirds of the movie lurched from unfinished thought to unrealised idea, with jarring edits that confuse the narrative and create a near-constant state of discomfort in the viewer.At first I wondered if the awkward and discordant storytelling was intentional, and if, perhaps, the writer-director wanted to discomfort his audience as a way of proving some deeper point. But by the end of the film I still can't figure out what that point might be.I should have connected with the story, because of the specific parallels with my own life, and the fact that it has wider resonances with the human experience. But I wasn't able to settle into it until it was nearly over, and then, after a few good scenes, it lurched into a rushed and clunky ending.Ultimately I can only put it down to poor filmmaking, from initial script to final edit.

I really enjoyed this simple film, it has a lot of heart. both the main character cyd and the aunt were really beautiful characters dealing with life and connection. both those actresses are so charismatic.

3/14/18. This is a delightful coming-of-age story about 16 year-old Cyd, who spends the summer with her unmarried aunt, Miranda. While their personalities are very different, they are family and they do eventually bond. In the process they learn about each other as they are, and accept each other for their uniqueness. Cyd explores her bisexuality and Miranda, a gifted writer, learns to be more spontaneous in her life. Worth catching because it shows how family ties can really make up for losses that may otherwise destroy one's hope for the future.

"Princess Cyd" is a wonderful film in many ways. I was surprised because my expectations weren't particularly high. As a result, I'm gonna seek out more of writer/director Stephen Cone's films.The story begins with Aunt Miranda (Rebecca Spence) attending a lecture about her books, as she'apparently a famous writer. But her dinner afterwards is interrupted by a phone call...her brother-in-law needs a break from his daughter, Cyd (Jessie Pinnick), and asks Miranda to take her in Chicago for a couple weeks. She's happy to and soon Cyd arrives. Cyd seems like a pretty normal teen and it's obvious at first that she thinks Aunt Miranda (who she hardly knows) is a dull lady...just like EVERY adult. But over time they hit it off well and Cyd learns that her aunt is a pretty cool lady...not just because of her books but because she's incredibly chill about Cyd's sexuality. Instead of being scared to discuss sex or Cyd's bisexuality, she's supportive...which is great because soon Cyd meets up with Katie (Malic White) and they fall for each other.I noticed that the other review referred to this as a Lesbian film. Well, perhaps Katie is gay...but what makes it interesting is that Cyd is clearly bisexual...something you rarely hear about in movies. I talked with the director/writer and it turns out he's openly gay and he did seem to have a very female-positive attitude in this film. His female characters were exceptionally well written and I also appreciated how he avoided a mistake some other filmmakers make. There is a rape (or attempted rape) scene in the film and he chose to show very little and mostly imply the attack....and this is great because sometimes these scenes are just too vivid and disturbing. This could either trigger PTSD responses in some viewers OR possibly excite the prurient interest of some sick viewers...so thanks for NOT going there!Overall, the story does an amazing amount without a lot of money or scope. Just a lot of real people acting in ways we can believe...and I really, really loved this film.