Madolescents

Charged on hormones, testosterone, bad dreams and low self esteem, the adolescents that slide the spectrum of insanity are a muse for many projects, on the screen, stage and pages. As a dodgily wired up eighteen year old, these intrigue me; whether it's because some middle aged guy thinks he knows how it feels to be young still and I want to rip the shit out of him, or because occasionally someone manages to tap into the madness and portray it originally. 

Girl, Interrupted (1999) Dir. James Mangold

Actual mental people, who go actually properly crazy; Girl, Interrupted is not for the faint hearted. Set way back in the 60s, the narrative follows an androgynous Winona Ryder as she works out what's going on in her head. Befriended by wild child Angelina Jolie, the pair trundle along doing what crazy people do, getting better or worse depending on how you see things. It's a film about friendship and hurting yourself on the outside to kill the thing on the inside. Popular with angsty female teens, Girl, Interrupted gets some bad press, but stripped down the psychology underlying the script and raw, feisty performances from the entire cast make this a film to see before you die. Just don't expect it to leave you in a good mood.

 

Manic (2001) Dir. Jordan Melamed

I've been watching this on half the screen while writing on the other. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brought Manic to my attention; he hasn't done a bad film to date. And he doesn't disappoint. Shot using hand held cameras, filmed on location and padded out by ex-institutionalised teenagers for extras, Manic doesn't leave much to the imagination. In a very good way; the entire film feels as 'real' as a documentary, the characters are perfectly flawed and, most importantly, it ends hopefully. Manic is by far one of the best films I have ever seen, and had an unusual relevance to how I felt at the time I first saw it. Joe's character Lyle answers the question 'Who is the most important person in your life?' with "I don't really think I've met that person yet. But honestly I think it's just as well 'cos . . I mean I almost hope that I never do meet 'em because if I do I know they'd just fuck me over." Manic, it is a film for the lonely and let down, the angry and the heart broken. 

The Madolescents by Chrissie Glazebrook

Rowena M Vincent. M as in Mad, as in Madder than logs. So mad in fact, that she's told to attend group sessions with other barmy adolescents. Turns out they all get on like a house on fire (literally) and dub themselves, the Madolescents. Absent fathers, cat fleas, sex on sheep skin rugs, Dolly Parton, dead babies, back combed hair, fingernails, cocktails, fatties, obsessives and depressives all thrown in to one decent length novel sounds like a good deal. More so when it's Chrissie Glazebrook penning the hilarious inner workings of Rowena, in a dark, intertexual comedy that will make you cry with laughter. Probably. Also has a sequel called the Blue Spark Sisters, just as funny, not quite so fucked up.

Thirteen (2003) Dir. Catherine Hardwicke 

Catherine Hardwicke is a woman of many talents. Thirteen is the epitome is all those individuals talents, worked together to create a revelation in film. Apart from a stark representation of teenage life, Thirteen is also dissection of emotion and relationships, focusing on mother and daughter, and Evan Rachel Wood's desperate attempts to fit in and be popular. Although the film features mostly female characters, it is applicable to every person on the planet because no one has lived without the struggles presented in Thirteen; to be loved and appreciated. What deepens the impact is that Nikki Reed was thirteen when she co-wrote the film and just fourteen when she starred in it; to a critic Thirteen might be a dramatically exaggerated portrayal of a thirteen year old girl's behavior, but for Nikki this is a film about her life.

C.R.A.Z.Y (2005) Dir. Jean-Marc Vallee

Subtitled films have always held a particular appeal, maybe because you don't miss a word the characters are saying. The gorgeous Marc-André  Grondin  plays a 'confused' guy who doesn't feel he can come out to his family because he doesn't want to disappoint his father. As cliche or whatever as it may sound, C.R.A.Z.Y is funny, colourful and infinite. The appeal of such an incredible film, complete with a legendary 70s soundtrack, will never die; there will always be more 'confused' teenagers edging out of the closet.

There you have it, five great films to get stuck into next time there's no one to tell you to pull your act together. Tomorrow morning Eurostar will be leaving St Pancras with me and my case in it's belly. No posts until Friday night at the earliest,  au revoir