Everything gets better; the human spirit, free and bold, endures, and life always goes on.
A bold work of art that is vehemently anti-dogma, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-puritanism, whether that come in the form of strict parents and teachers, 1930's fascism or psychologically oppressive catholicism (and the film argues that not only do these three collaborate, but correlate).
Reminding me of The Last Picture Show in a few ways, the film takes place in a midsized town where everyone seems to know everyone else, in large part following a group of teenage boys gleefully exploring their all-consuming sexuality, hormonal impulses and budding individuality over the course of little more than a year, as their society keeps punishing them for it, though that does little to curb the boys' fire.
Personal enjoyment will likely vary greatly between viewers, as there's not a cohesive plot here, just thematically linked scenarios. There is also a great deal of tonal ambiguity here, as any one scene could be viewed very comedically or very tragically or anywhere in-between, depending on the viewer's interpretation and state of mind. In a work as broad and ambiguous as this, one's takeaway will be what one makes it; any two viewers are likely to have a meaningfully different experience from one another.
Everything gets better; the human spirit, free and bold, endures, and life always goes on.
A bold work of art that is vehemently anti-dogma, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-puritanism, whether that come in the form of strict parents and teachers, 1930's fascism or psychologically oppressive catholicism (and the film argues that not only do these three collaborate, but correlate).
Reminding me of The Last Picture Show in a few ways, the film takes place in a midsized town where everyone seems to know everyone else, in large part following a group of teenage boys gleefully exploring their all-consuming sexuality, hormonal impulses and budding individuality over the course of little more than a year, as their society keeps punishing them for it, though that does little to curb the boys' fire.
Personal enjoyment will likely vary greatly between viewers, as there's not a cohesive plot here, just thematically linked scenarios. There is also a great deal of tonal ambiguity here, as any one scene could be viewed very comedically or very tragically or anywhere in-between, depending on the viewer's interpretation and state of mind. In a work as broad and ambiguous as this, one's takeaway will be what one makes it; any two viewers are likely to have a meaningfully different experience from one another.
