Tag Archives: coming of age

7,0-7,9, comedy, drama,, female director

“Lady Bird” by Greta Gerwig (USA, 2017)

Lady Bird

Nuanced approach of all the things on which the life of a teenage girl is built / Excellent acting, great editing! However, a too “uniquely American” comedy, as Christopher Gray puts it.

Cast:  Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writer: Greta Gerwig
Cinematographer: Sam Levy
Editor: Nick Houy
Composer: Jon Brion

8,0-8,9, drama,, male director, romance,

“Princess Cyd” by Stephen Cone (USA, 2017)

Princess Cyd

Sex and relationships in the eyes of a teenage girl and a woman in her late 40’s.
A movie staging 3 women in a finely-tuned coming-of-age and out-of-the-closet story, with balanced personages, multi-faceted sexual identities, and an healthy racial distribution.
“You may look at Miranda, and think immediately, ‘Oh, okay, I know who that woman is’. You would be wrong. The same for Cyd. ‘Oh, okay. Bored teenager sunbathing in a bikini. I know who that is’. Again, you would be wrong.” writes Sheila O’Malley.

Cast: Rebecca Spence, Jessie Pinnick, Malic White, James Vincent Meredith, Tyler Ross, Matthew Quattrocki
Director: Stephen Cone
Writer: Stephen Cone
Editor: Christopher Gotschall
Director of Photography: Zoe White
Original Music Composer: Heather McIntosh

7,0-7,9, crime, drama,, female director, romance,

“Jasper Jones” by Rachel Perkins (Australia, 2017)

 

Jasper Jones

Interesting representation of teenagers rejecting the crooked ways of the significant adults around them.
NOTICED (SPOILER): One mother betrays her husband. Another one destroys evidence to protect hers. In the end, it leaves two children betrayed by their mothers.
The musical score is too omnipresent. 

Cast: Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Angourie Rice
Director: Rachel Perkins
Writers: Shaun Grant, Craig Silvey (story)
Music by Antony Partos
Cinematography by Mark Wareham
Film Editing by Veronika Jenet

3,0-5,9, drama,, female director, romance,

“Everything, Everything” by Stella Meghie (USA, 2017)

Everything, Everything

Weak story, images and personages that are too ‘polished’, music unconnected to the story

Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose, Ana de la Reguera
Director: Stella Meghie
Writer: J. Mills Goodloe, based on the book by Nicola Yoon
Cinematographer: Igor Jadue-Lillo
Editor: Nancy Richardson
Composer: Ludwig Göransson

7,0-7,9, drama,, female director, romance,

“Love Like Poison” by Katell Guillévéré (France, 2010)

Love Like Poison

A 14-year old girl tries to deal with the conflict created by her nascent sexual desire and her faith. The significant others in her life are clearly divided into two groups. The non-believers are all male (father, grandpa, boyfriend) and all clearly express their desires. The believers on the other hand (the mother, the girl, and the priest) all have to repress their desires in order to comply with the dogma imposed by their religion.
Incongruous music

Actors: Clara Augarde, Lio, Michel Galabru
Director: Katell Quillévéré
Writers: Mariette Désert (collaboration), Katell Quillévéré
Music: Olivier Mellano
Cinematography: Tom Harari
Editing: Thomas Marchand