My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (film review)

This is a visually inventive animated film from acclaimed graphic novelist Dash Shaw, featuring a mix of hand drawn scenes, collages and amazing colours.

Best friends Dash (Schwartzman) and Assaf (Watts) are sophomores at Tides High, a school located on a coastal faultline. The boys are the sole two writers on the school newspaper, which nobody seems to read. The editor of the newspaper, Verity, offers Assaf the chance of his first solo writing assignment to cover the new building development at the school. This makes Dash jealous, not only because he feels he's the better writer and deserves the assignment but also as he can see Assaf and Verity becoming more than just friends.

Dash does his own research and finds out that the new development doesn't comply with earthquake safety legislation and that the whole school building is threatened with destruction the next time there's an earth tremor, which is of course exactly what happens.

Can Dash and Assaf regain each other's trust and save their friends from the doomed school? What is Principal Grim's secret and what are Lunch Lady Lorraine's secret skills?

This is a disaster film that explores how to survive adolescence, makes serious (and timely) points about the importance of health and safety legislation and is a visual feast. Well worth watching.

My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea is showing as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival at: 2035, Wednesday 28 June and 1815 Thursday 29 June both at Cineworld.You can buy tickets here.

 here are links to the other films I've seen in the festival:

God's Own Country.

Journeys through Time and Culture (review of Zer, Sami Blood and Donkeyote).

The Erlprince.

Two Films about our relationship with animals (review of Okja and The Challenge).

Leaning into the Wind.

A Distant Echo. 




Disclaimer: I have a press pass for the Edinburgh International Film Festival and attended press screenings of these films.