Get Real

Watching Steven, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of a mirror effect; if I had just a fraction more of his courage (and maybe a little less restraint), I’d probably be doing the exact same thing—cruising and looking for some kind of connection in the middle of all that suffocating small-town routine. He’s such a grounded representation of that specific "stuck" feeling. ​The ending, though, is a total Rorschach test. It’s frustratingly open-ended because the movie refuses to give you the easy satisfaction of a "happily ever after." Did they make it? Did they fall apart the moment they stepped off that stage? It leaves you hanging in the balance, which I guess is the point—life doesn't usually give you a clean credits-roll moment. ​One of the best coming-of-age films that actually understands the stakes of being honest with yourself.