Please Stand By for a great movie

On a mission: Wendy has to reach Los Angeles
before the screenwriting competition deadline

It's always a pleasure to come across a movie out of the blue that entertains, tugs on emotions and is enjoyable to the last.

Please Stand By tells the story of a young woman with autism, played by Dakota Fanning, who runs away from her caregiver in order to submit a screenplay she has written to a Star Trek contest.

This new film has been released simultaneously at theatres and through iTunes and Amazon.

Fanning plays the role of Wendy, who has some remarkable yet under-appreciated talents. Even as her erratic mission to deliver her Star Trek screenplay falls apart, she overcomes her fears. At one point she does this by following the wisdom of Spock - in the words that she wrote - where the only logical direction to go is "forward".

Toni Collette, in the role of caregiver Scottie, was the reason I took a chance on this new release. Collete has given a string of great performances over the years, including her breakthrough hit Muriel's Wedding, and she is masterful in this outing, as is Alice Eve, another newcomer to me, who plays Wendy's sister Audrey.

Perfect casting: Dakota Fanning's performance as Wendy is memorable

While the strong and clear plot revolves around Wendy's attempt to deliver her screenplay before the competition deadline, the theme of Please Stand By is very much one of relationships, empathy and family. The upsets are believable, and even in the seemingly most hopeless moments there is an underlying positivity, a flickering flame that refuses to go out. We never want to give up on Wendy.

All together, Please Stand By handles an interesting topic in a sensitive and uplifting way. Fanning is a star on the rise, and Collette and Eve are on point in their supporting roles. My emotions were tugged repeatedly by this film, which in moments reminded me of David Lynch's wonderful Straight Story.

The scripting is tight and believable; the cinematography and accompanying music are a delight. The soundtrack features the melodic Au Revoir Simone and also the relatively obscure group Lavender Diamond, whose play out tune Open Your Heart perfectly captures the mood.

At a time when Hollywood seems to be losing the plot with soulless blockbuster franchises, it is good to know that little films such as Please Stand By are also being made and seeing the light of day.

Official trailer for Please Stand By: