Egghead & Twinkie review – wholesome and captivating spin on the road trip flick

From the very first frames of Egghead & Twinkie, you know you’re in for a treat. Writer-director Sarah Kambe Holland’s feature debut, an adaption of her 2019 short, is a wholesomely captivating spin on the classic road trip movie, emphasised through the use of colourful animation. The film’s playful approach, with shades of Heartstopper and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, instantly charms on account of its uniquely stylised visuals and bold lesbian depiction.

Matthew (Louis Tomeo) and Vivian (Sabrina Jie-A-Fa) – otherwise known as Egghead and Twinkie (some very questionable nicknames!) – are introduced as anime-loving, seventeen-year-old best friends in the summer before college. Twinkie, a young Asian American lesbian, is less focused on post-graduation plans and much more concerned with her blossoming feelings for her not-quite girlfriend, BD (Ayden Lee). They’ve been talking online for six months and Twinkie’s feelings have solidified into a full-on, hopeless crush. Egghead, too, has his own crush. His spiralling infatuation for Twinkie may be unrequited, but that loving connection is still sweetly rendered.

The duo are instantly lovable, their chaotic energy merging with teenage awkwardness and bringing a fresh, contemporary spin on the timeless coming-of-age tale. Though both performances are fantastic and their chemistry sparkles, Egghead & Twinkie is undeniably Jie-A-Fa’s vehicle to steer. As Twinkie, she fluctuates from giddy excitement to heart-wrenching isolation with natural ease. Such a moments arises early on when Twinkie comes out to her adoptive parents, a household defined by conservative whiteness that isn’t all too welcoming of her queerness. The response only furthers her desire to run away. She tells Egghead a little lie, that she wants to go to Dallas to visit an animation studio (in truth her online crush is waiting for her), before packing her bags, stealing her dad’s car and setting off on a bright-coloured portrait of Gen Z adolescence.

In chronicling this buoyant tale, Jill Cefalo-Sanders and Dustin Wisch’s animation is what really sets Egghead & Twinkie apart. The film’s rich visual world is illuminated by colours and cartoons that are embedded but never distracting. Comic drawings are employed liberally, though never feel overdone; an illustration of emotional distance demonstrates how this short suspension of reality can communicate the trickier adolescent emotions that would otherwise feel cliché.

While Egghead & Twinkie come across a number of characters and their respective side quests, it is Jess (Asahi Hirano), a sweet Japanese waitress, who becomes more than just a stop on the pair’s journey. She’s a lovable inclusion and someone who gives it to Twinkie straight. Even the classic makeover scene gets a gay re-do, with the two queer women connecting over recent coming outs and lesbian-appropriate flannel shirts. Coming to terms with one’s identity and heritage is shown as a beautiful journey in Egghead & Twinkie, a film that, with its mischievous sense of humour and embracing of gay, mixed-Asian identity, proves to be quite the ride.

Egghead & Twinkie was screened as part of the BFI Film Festival 2023. A UK release date is yet to be announced.