Today’s announcement that Josephine Decker’s “The Sky is Everywhere” will be released on February 11th is a very surprising one.
Decker’s stock was said to be on the up and up with her last two films having broken out of the arthouse circuit. The 40-year-old filmmaker is also a Sundance regular, but “The Sky is Everywhere” was nowhere to be found inside this year’s lineup. Now it’s being released three weeks after the festival wraps up?
This doesn’t pass the smell test. Signs are pointing to the film being a stinker. After all, it’s based on a weepy YA novel by Jandy Nelson and tackles a shy, teenage musician who tries to keep things together in the aftermath of her older, more outgoing sister's death.
Decker turned heads two years ago at Sundance with her critically-acclaimed experimental theater drama, “Madeline’s Madeline.” Although that film ultimately felt too overcooked, for my tastes, watching it you felt like you were witnessing the coming of a major new directorial voice. Decker’s next film, “Shirley,” also premiered at Sundance to rave reviews in 2020.
“The Sky is Everywhere” will premiere in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+ on February 11, 2022