coming-of-age

Fantasia Film Festival 2020: Interview with Adam Rehmeier of DINNER IN AMERICA
Fantasia Film Festival 2020: Interview with Adam Rehmeier of DINNER IN AMERICA

Film Inquiry chatted with Dinner in America’s director Adam Rehmeier about Mac Demarco, a good mixtape, and finding the right lead actors. 

PINOCCHIO: Old-World Italian Craftsmanship
PINOCCHIO: Old-World Italian Craftsmanship

Matteo Garrone’s latest fantasy Pinocchio offers a more realistic portrayal of the classic tale that still incorporates some escapist fantasy elements

I USED TO GO HERE: Anchored by a Winsome Gillian Jacobs
I USED TO GO HERE: Anchored by a Winsome Gillian Jacobs

I Used to Go Here is about far more than one could have hoped and imagined with a pleasant amount of consideration given to all its characters.

GOOD MANNERS: A Fractured Fairytale
GOOD MANNERS: A Fractured Fairytale

All and all, Good Manners is a flawed narrative with a good heart and powerful message at its core.

NORMAL PEOPLE: Creating beauty out of melancholy
NORMAL PEOPLE: Creating Beauty Out Of Melancholy

Hulu’s Normal People doesn’t just transform sorrow into an affecting narrative; it creates beauty out of it.

HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD: The Girlhood Gaze
HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD: The Girlhood Gaze

House of Hummingbird isn’t the easiest of films to watch, but it is definitely one of the most rewarding.

SOUNDTRACK TO SIXTEEN: Insecurities Analyzed
SOUNDTRACK TO SIXTEEN: Insecurities Analyzed

Hillary Shakespeare’s Soundtrack to Sixteen is a concise and delightful examination of teenage insecurities with great performances and strong writing.

CLOSENESS: Kantemir Balagov’s Controversial Debut
CLOSENESS: Kantemir Balagov’s Controversial Debut

Closeness is an intriguing debut film that is marred by one incredibly bad choice on the part of its director.

TO THE STARS: A Meditation On Living In A Mean Land
TO THE STARS: A Meditation On Living In A Mean Land

Knowing the legacy of the state Oklahoma, To The Stars turns what could have been a fairly run-of-the-mill coming of age story into a broader indictment of a state’s transcendent violence.

SELAH AND THE SPADES: Stone Cold Stylish
SELAH AND THE SPADES: Stone Cold Stylish

Selah and the Spades takes the traditional trappings of coming-of-age stories and views them through a filter of a calculated coldness.

ON MY BLOCK Season 3: The Kids Are Not Alright
ON MY BLOCK Season 3: The Kids Are Not Alright

If in the end there will be no fourth season for On My Block, the ending of season three is still pretty much a perfect closure.

BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE: Familiar But Heartfelt
BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE: Familiar But Heartfelt

In a time of so much uncertainty, a movie like Big Time Adolescence is the very definition of a “comfort watch.” And we could all use that right now.

SXSW 2020: DRUNK BUS
SXSW 2020: DRUNK BUS

Drunk Bus is edgy and heartwarming, bringing powerful performances and an even stronger message to this coming-of-age film.

I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS Season 1: A Low-Stakes Yet Affecting Look At Teen Angst
I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS Season 1: A Low-Stakes Yet Affecting Look At Teen Angst

I Am Not Okay with This is a great show that feels both familiar and refreshing, twisting the formula of superhero origin and coming-of-age stories.

Slamdance 2020: BIG FUR & TAHARA
Slamdance 2020: TAHARA & BIG FUR

Kristy Strouse was able to catch a couple Slamdance 2020 films, Big Fur and Tahara, and both were wildly different, but equally compelling.