Wallah Be (2002)
Many Danish Coming-of-Age films share common themes, and more often than not engage viewers of a younger age group.
Most often are based on popular children’s books, feature sympathetic young boys in the lead roles [see Rubber Tarzan (1981), I am William (2017), and Someone Like Hodder (2003)] and feature an element of magical realism.
Pia Bovin’s 2002 film Wallah Be (Original title: Kald mig bare Aksel) shares similar traits with these Danish children’s films. Its protagonist is an impressionable ten-year-old boy named Alex who lives with his mother and elder sister at an apartment complex in the suburbs.
With his father missing, the boy is looking for an older role model to emulate. His neighborhood is filled with newly moved-in Muslim families, and soon Alex finds such a model in the older Muslim boys – who hang together, wear cool necklaces and get into all kinds of mischief. He is so impressed by them that he concludes that the only way to join them and be cool is to become a Muslim himself.
Wallah Be departs a bit from the Danish cinema’s magical realism in favor of normalizing the new reality that many Danish cities have found themselves in because of the increased immigration from the east. I find such an agenda unsuitable for children’s films, although the story itself is still perfectly capable of captivating young audiences. Nonetheless, older viewers may feel a bit of unease.
Aside from the desire to become a Muslim (which ends up bringing some comic relief), Alex is preoccupied with a singing contest at the local youth club. Not everything goes smoothly as one member of his team– a young Muslim girl Fatima — has difficulty convincing her parents that it will be fine to perform on stage while the other team member, Annika, is preoccupying herself with fate of a stray dog.
Although the Danish children’s cinema’s charm is present, Wallah Be never really manages to truly engage and captivate. This is not the cast’s fault who, for the most part, delivers wonderful performances – especially Adam Gilbert Jespersen as Alex.
His charming appearance and talent enhance the sensible nature of the young character he portrays on screen. But, as a whole, the story is superfluous and lacks both the magic of Someone Like Hodder or the humor in I am William. As a result, I had to watch the film on several consecutive viewings as it would always bore me trying to view it in a single one.
That’s why I can not wholeheartedly recommend the film. Those fans of the Danish children’s films (and I am one of them) may find a few redeeming qualities, but generally, the cinematic experience is disappointing.
Trailer
[imdb]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298006/reference[/imdb]
Lolo (2019)
Lolo is a splashy little short film focusing on the experiences of a sensitive and openly gay eleven-year-old named Lolo (Zev Starrett) and his glamorous, flamboyant friends – a girl and a boy of the same age.
The Story
While filled with rite-of-passage experiences such as falling in love, confusion, and friendship, the story is enjoyable because of its simplicity and positivity, making up for the lack of any actual substance.
There are not that many Coming-of-Age films with an LGBTI friendly narrative out there. We have Hazel (2012), which I found to be flamboyant, quirky, funny, provoking, and original, the 2008 Mexican film Limbo, the intriguing Wild Tigers I Have Known (2006), and few others one may stumble upon.
Compared with those titles, Lolo is rather superficial, but it’s fun to watch; its positivity is enough to convince the viewer that the action might have taken place in an alternative universe.
Beauty in the story’s simplicity
Like most easy going fun films, Lolo‘s narrative is open-ended. If it archives anything aside from entertaining the viewer, that will make one realize that defending one’s identity can begin at a very early stage. It perfectly suits films like Lolo or Hazel for young audiences to be brave enough to address such a sensitive matter that many older people couldn’t begin to discuss in such a fun, easy-going manner.
Do not expect big revelations out of Lolo, yet enjoy the beauty in the simplicity of its story.
Seduction Theory (2014)
Labeling a film’s plot and manner of storytelling as “quirky” is, coincidentally, the right thing to do when you have a Coming-of-Age story soaked in Freudian nuances and with characters having many psychological traits on screen.
The viewer may be confused by on-screen events occurring in the past, present, and future, seemingly at the same time. Yet, perhaps unconsciously, the story makes sense, and when the final credits roll, most viewers will have gathered enough information to see the complete picture.
This has been an unconventional review opening to an unconventional movie: Steven Ascher‘s 2014 short film with the peculiar title Seduction Theory. It’s a short film that feels like a full feature thanks to comprehensive and involving plot development despite its relatively brief duration time.
The film features a Coming-of-Age story of a young boy or, actually, it’s a man recalling his childhood days and tribulations with little fondness yet in a manner that seems to look for answers way back then. Using first-person narrative, the film feels like an autobiographical novel. It surprisingly fits a lifetime of experiences into a limited format thanks to clever editing and an ingenious storytelling approach.
Official Trailer
Christian Goodwin plays the lead role of a 12-year-old boy, and his facial expression and overall realistic portrayal of a boy trying to figure things out in the world is the real highlight of the movie. Of course, that performance is right up there with the film’s original storytelling. It’s hard to choose which one is more important, as together they result in an excellent cinematic experience. Identifying with the Christian’s character is easy, and most viewers will recall a happening in their own life relatable to a moment or moments shown on screen. In my case, as I have always found relationships wholly consuming and overly complicated, the story hit all the right tones.
Seduction Theory is a great short film and, while it clearly aims towards more mature audiences, it is a great way to experience an original and well-told Coming-of-Age story.
Phoenix 11·23 (2012)
The Spanish film Phoenix 11-23 (original title = Fenix 11·23), about a young boy accused of terrorism after threatening a retailer, presents a real challenge for any reviewer. The reason for that lies in the film’s theme – mostly the ongoing attempt of some of the citizens of Catalonia to form a state independent from Spain.
As I have a strong personal stance in this matter – not disclosing it would flaw the review. That being said, here is my stance: I respect the Catalonian language and culture, just not when it is forced on people. I have seen and experienced that myself, as more often than not, the language is used to discriminate against both people from Spain or abroad.
With that disclosure out of the way, Phoenix 11-23 is an intriguing film shot in the same style as The Interrogation of Michael Crowe – a courtroom psychological drama from the US. The two films share a lot of similarities – from the age of the protagonists (in both films, they are 14-year-old boys) to the fact that the films are based on real cases and that both present a struggle of young people against an external force – the justice system. The Coming-of-Age motifs are present in both films yet are somewhat more notable in Phoenix 11-23, which also touches on commonly addressed issues in many young peoples’ lives – such as first love and bullying. This makes the character of Èric Beltrán relatable, aided by the more than capable acting of Nil Cardoner.
Trailer
Phoenix 11-23 is filled with emotions and drama, and the story is more than capable of holding one’s attention while, at the same time and regardless of any potential bias, the viewer will be in a position to pass a judgment on the actions of the protagonists and the consequences they bring. Keeping the disclosure I opened this review with in mind, the viewer is likely to note and judge the indoctrination aimed at youth just as in the American 2007 documentary Jesus Camp. But I assume many who sympathize with the doctrine for Catalonia’s independence will disagree with such an assessment. Where I saw a story of a kid who makes a mistake due to his naivety and innocence, others may see the story of a “freedom fighter.” Whatever the case, the film portrays the story objectively enough, allowing viewers to reach their own conclusions.
As a Coming-of-Age drama, the film possesses many good qualities: an original and poignant story, an efficient score, and excellent acting performances from the entire cast. Most of the dialogue is in Catalan, but the DVD has English subtitles, making the film accessible to an international audience. Phoenix 11-23 is an excellent film and can be enjoyed by people of all ages – who may see the story either as a warning or inspiration.
Stolen Days (2020)
Stolen Days (Original title: Il ladro di giorni) is a film that captivates and intrigues from beginning to end. It hits all the right notes – on storytelling, the plot’s complexity, acting, musical score, editing, and camerawork. What’s more, it features a Coming-of-Age story that enhances not just the life of the protagonists on screen but of its viewers as well.
Written and directed by Guido Lombardi (which explains the excellent quality of the script that surpasses one’s expectations for a novel adapted to screen), the film tells the story of Salvo (Augusto Zazzaro) and his father Vincenzo (Riccardo Scamarcio). Salvo is eleven but has not seen or heard from his father in a long time. Seven years ago, Vincenzo got arrested in front of his son (too young to understand what’s happening) and sent to prison.
One day, as Salvo plays football with his classmates, Vincenzo appears. He has been released and wants to spend time with his son. To the boy, his father has become a stranger, an almost mythical figure of the past, which explains his reluctance in this reunion of father and son. He joins his father on a road trip across Italy, a trip whose final destination ties in with the father’s criminal past. It turns into a journey of mutual re-discovery of the father-son relationship, during which the boy becomes a man – but not without paying a heavy price.
Dramatic Structure
Stolen Days combines the elements of a Coming-of-Age drama, thriller, and a road movie in a cleverly entwined nonlinear dramatic structure. Information about the characters’ past is filled in by flashbacks and dialogue, creating a state of dramatic tension. Furthermore, the filmmakers utilize objects as symbols that trigger complex attitudes and feelings within the story’s context. One example of such a symbol is a toy robot, which symbolizes imagination and childhood. It serves as a storytelling device connecting the past and the present. Other examples are the broken windshield of the car they are riding and Robert Louis Stevenson‘s book Treasure Island, both charged with symbolic significance. I will leave it to the viewer to interpret that symbolism.
Set in a modern-day Mediterranean summer, the film’s atmosphere is aided by the lyrical photography of cinematographer Daria D’Antonio. The viewer gets a taste of her work’s quality from the first scene, where the camera’s movement combines tilting techniques with immaculate framing.
The Musical Score
The musical score is unobtrusive yet effective in heightening the dramatic effect of the picture and communicating what’s going on in the characters’ minds. A prime example of this occurs during a live performance at a restaurant where the father and son dine on their reunion’s first night.
Stolen Days Trailer
The plot revolves around young Salvo’s experiences as he loses and gains perspectives of life and people thanks to his father’s interaction. Augusto Zazzaro delivers a stunningly credible performance in the film, once again confirming my observation of the value of discovering cinematic gems around the world only to be rewarded by a performance of a debuting young actor that far outperforms most of his adult and famed colleagues.
A dynamic father-son relationship
Although the father-son relationship gets off to a rocky beginning, it slowly turns into a pivotal motif of the story, highlighting that age often does not correspond to greater maturity.
Conclusion
Stolen Days is a masterpiece of the Coming-of-Age cinema, with a story capable of engaging viewers of all ages – even those who usually opt for an intriguing series on the TV. Its story is original and provides enough twists and turns to keep one’s attention, and it all culminates in a rewarding finale.
Luminous Motion (1998)
An unconventional childhood, a mother-son relationship embodying the mixture of a road film, Coming-of-Age drama and fantasy – that is Luminous Motion. Bette Gordon directed a 1998 movie with a title suitable for the supernatural, nostalgic, yet twisted Coming-of-Age tale that the film turns out to be.
The story is told from the viewpoint of its central character, 10-year-old Phillip (Eric Lloyd). Life can be confusing for many, yet Philip is filled with determination and self-assurance and seems to have an answer to anything. He is too young to understand all of life’s complexities but seems more than ready and willing to state that he does.
It is not easy to identify with Philip, but to sympathize with him is quite easy (even though this ‘wise beyond his years’ self-assured and self-absorbed youngster can even be slightly annoying at times). That comes as a direct result of Eric Lloyd’s acting, who is charismatic and hits all the right tones with his facial expressions and mannerisms. He gets significant screen time and truly manages to bring the complicated psyche of young Philip to life.
Broken people
The line between fantasy and reality gets increasingly blurred as the film progresses, which results in the plot getting odder as the story unfolds. As new characters get introduced, it’s unavoidable to notice that most of them would call broken people, whether their issues are caused by lack of a father figure, abandonment, loneliness or just some form of mental disorder.
Trailer for Luminous Motion
Is it a road movie?
Luminous Motion is not the typical road film with Coming-of-Age undertones, yet its storyline shares some similarities with such flicks. The “journey with no set destination” (symbolically in life as well as on the road) from Glendyn Ivin’s 2009 Australian film Last Ride is present, the surreal nature of some scenes reminds one of the 1991 American road movie Motorama and last, but not least, the mother-son relationship (with shades of the style of Bonnie and Clyde thrown in) is similar to Bringing Up Bobby (2011).
In the end, most of the events in the narrative are open to interpretation – like trying to put limits on reality and fantasy or forgo them altogether. If one gets confused, it’s worth remembering one of the phrases from the film’s opening – led to the story by a character admitting that his “memory’s hopelessly flawed and entangled with my imagination.”
The movie experience
Luminous Motion does not disappoint as the characters and events are intriguing enough to hold one’s attention as a movie experience. Casting, camerawork, directing and editing are all well done, with little to no flaws—the philosophical finale ties in well with the opening and the story per se. Most viewers will likely still have more questions than answers, yet trying to piece together all the little snips of information gathered as the story develops is a rewarding experience all on its own.
Not the best film you will ever see or the most memorable one, but definitely worth watching.
