“Empire Waist” is an offering of empowerment cinema, aiming to reach young viewers with a display of empathy that’s not particularly easy to find these days. Writer/director Claire Ayoub makes her feature-length helming debut with the picture, and she’s not out to create a sophisticated overview of high school bullying and self-esteem challenges. She’s painting with primary colors here, with hopes to sweep viewers into a story of teens with self-worth issues trying to find some level of confidence as themselves while the outside world wants them to conform to their standards. The message is wonderful, and while “Empire Waist” is a little shaky when it comes to dramatic urgency, Ayoub has her heart in the right place with the endeavor, also doing well with a spirited cast that brings some flavor and authenticity to the film, handling the material’s ideas well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com