Lately I have been stumbling upon a lot of Coming-of-Age novels whose stories are set somewhere in the United States. Over time, I feel like I’m getting a better idea of what it must feel like to grow up there as compared to doing so in my own country.
The latest book I’ve just finished is titled Dead End in Norvelt and
Don’t be fooled by the title – Ghetto Kids. This is not just another crime themed film glorifying gangsters or a shady way of life. Christian Wagner‘s 2002 flick is something much more – a shocking true-to-life story of immigrant life, of hopes and goodness, of poverty and richness of the heart. The sensationalist approach to cinema is missing, yet the disturbing authenticity of the story won’t leave you indifferent.
For some reason I am drawn to films, books and even photographs released years before I was born. With their vintage atmosphere, the retro style has a unique appeal that I find inspiring. Yet besides reviewing classic films and maybe mentioning a music band now and then, I rarely have the opportunity to discuss that passion of mine.
A few days ago, I stumbled upon a great short film, which was actually a combination of an American public service announcement and a funny commentary recorded by a team of comedians (Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy — and with Bill Corbett heckling). It was for a website called RiffTrax.
The short film with the intriguing title Rescueman was originally intended to educate youth on safety procedures while riding on school buses. Or, in other words, what kids should do if an emergency should arise while they are riding the bus. To make things easier for the kids to grasp, the story is told from the view point of a young boy – Scotty – who is obsessed with a superhero named Rescueman. Such a lesson could be useful and interesting and, with the audio commentary added, it’s transformed into a hilarious clip. The older readers of this article may recall the original public broadcast from their school years and kids nowadays will enjoy it immensely; I know I did (thanks to the retro aesthetics plus the creativity of the narrative).
See what I mean for yourself in this short clip:
http://youtu.be/eLAiXsVOyS8
A quick exploration of the RiffTrax website resulted in many titles shot with young actors such as: When Should Grown-ups Stop Fights?, The Other Fellow’s Feelings, Ghost Rider, Safety with Animals, Say No to Strangers, Sailing a Toy Boat…to name but a few. Such public announcements were frequently shown at schools in the past and, while that is rarely the case nowadays, RiffTrax short films breathe a new life into them.
While viewers of these shorts may have a good laugh at the commentary, it’s almost guaranteed that some of the undoubtedly helpful messages embedded in the films would reach young and older audiences alike. All short films featured on the RIffTrax website come with a teaser and cost less than a dollar to buy and own.
Promising RiffTrax shorts :
With its beautiful score and atmospheric opening credits, one might expect a lot from the 2012 Dutch film Milo. But unfortunately its Coming-of-Age narrative, focusing on the experiences of a 10-year-old boy whose life is religiously controlled by his father, fails to keep the attention of the viewer.
These days dysfunctional families are more of a norm than the exception, which is probably the reason why so many Coming-of-Age films feature narratives that focus on the effect that family troubles have on youths. Such is the case with the 2009 short film from Denmark – The Song (Sangen).
In only fifteen minutes, Director Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen manages to explore issues such as forgotten feelings, father-son relationships and bullying
While looking for good Coming-of-Age novels to read, Fred Gipson‘s book Old Yeller was recommended. I read it over the course of two days – and although it did not turn to be as sappy as I was warned it may be – it inspired me to seek out the 1957 Disney film based on the novel. Having seen it, I decided to review the movie instead of the book as, for some reason, I found it much more moving than the book – something of a rare occurrence in my experience. Additionally, while the film adaptation generally followed the story related in the book closely, unlike the novel, it did not include the spoilers that give away the ending.
The story of Old Yeller is set in 1869 on a farm in a remote settlement in Texas. A family of four is making a living in the harsh conditions of the American frontier thanks to a lot of hard work. When Jim Coates (Fess Parker) has to leave his family to go on a cattle drive that could take months, his 14-year-old son Travis (Tommy Kirk) takes care of the family in his absence. One day, a stray yellow dog evokes havoc on the farm and later steals some meat that had been hung up to dry. Travis is outraged, but his younger brother Arliss (Kevin Corcoran) falls in love with the mischievous dog and claims it over his brother’s protests. The dog, however, turns out to be a great pal and protector for the family and soon proves his loyalty by saving the lives of both brothers on different occasions.
Essentially Old Yeller is a classic example of a Disney family-oriented animal adventure story, with the potential to appeal to young and adult audiences alike. While more Coming-of-Age value lies within the pages of the book (thanks to its first-person narrative told from Travis’s viewpoint), it’s not absent from the film — especially in the final scenes that feature a touching conversation between father and son.
The best actors in the movie are undoubtedly the animals led by a dog as the title character, making the film a real treat for young viewers. The story is fast-paced and exciting enough to hold the attention of its audiences. If I have any complaint, it would be directed at the musical score, which features way too many non-diegetic sounds intended to boost the dramatic effect of the film’s events and scenes. If you enjoy the movie, you may be singing its theme song as the final credits roll, but if you don’t, it’s likely to be a bit of an annoyance due to its somewhat hackneyed sound. On the positive side, the dialogue between the characters is charming, thanks to their old-fashioned accents.
Spiritual relationships and the reliance between boy and dog is one of the prominent motifs of the story. Still, the author also empathizes with the journey towards manhood of the teenaged Travis, who accepts adult responsibilities and learns to deal with the destitution of the hard frontier life.
Old Yeller Theme Song
We are in the middle of 2013 and it’s time to think of films belonging to the Coming-of-Age genre that have already been or will be released in the current year. The quality of any film is rarely affected by the year in which it’s released. That’s why on TheSKyKid.com both new releases and classics are reviewed. Yet it is it’s always interesting to know what is in the works …
Directed by the Daniel Joseph Borgman, this film (a co-production between New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden) already had its debut at the Berlinale Film Festival. Its story emphasizes the loneliness and isolation perceived from the view point of an 11-year-old boy named Adrian (played by Demos Murphy). Its extended synopsis as published on Berlinale’s web site includes a sentence that by itself was enough to spark my interest:
“…universal story for adults and those who have never wanted to grow up…”
The Weight of Elephants International Trailer
Run Bhoomi Champs Don’t Cry is one of the many Coming-of-Age films from India to be released in 2013. The sports oriented film tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who is devoted to winning a 16 km cross-country race … at any cost. Along the way, she has to overcome many obstacles, learn to believe in herself and inspire others. The plot seems akin to that of the 2004 Canadian drama Saint Ralph, but a girl in the lead role and the fact that the film is a Bollywood production (expect a great soundtrack) hints of a unique approach to the classic motivational Coming-of-Age film. On its official web site, the promoters of the movie promise that its viewers will be “totally riveted with a subliminal ‘CAN DO’ message for children, and how patience & perseverance can overcome mountains.”
Run Bhoomi Champs Don’t Cry Trailer
http://youtu.be/69I6Jkb5ePw
One of the greatest benefits of following the new releases in the Coming-of-Age genre is the discovery of newcomers among the young actors chosen to play the lead roles. Yet I will admit that seeing the name of Spencer List (who previously starred in the funny 2011 comedy-drama Bringing up Bobby) is what made me interested in this film; that and the implied controversy about the film’s plot (judging from the trailer and the synopsis). Take a look:
“Oliver Nicholas, thirteen years old, is well-poised to enter the precocious teenage world of first-sex, vodka and possible-love in New York City.”
Spaz Trailer
Based on the classic characters of Mark Twain, this newest film about life on the Mississippi from an earlier time period is an adaptation of Carl May’s novel Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn and is one of the most expected films of the year. When it comes to a Coming-of-Age narrative, it doesn’t get much better than the story of Tom and Huck – and I do envy youngsters who will discover their story for the very first time. The stars of this production are Joel Courtney and Jake T. Austin. With a story done as often as this one, I’m sure many will compare this film with one (or more) of the previous adaptations. I know I will do that with several German versions. I’ll be curious to see how well this new release fares in comparison. I may be a bit biased since this adaptation was filmed in Bulgaria, which has been frequently chosen as a filming destination by directors in the past few years.
Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn – Trailer
Probably the most well-known Coming-of-Age film from Mexico is Y Tu Mamá También. Director Diego Quemada-Diez has a chance to change that with his poignant drama The Golden Cage (La Jaula de Oro). The story focuses on three teenagers who attempt to illegally cross the Mexican-American border in pursuit of a better future for themselves. Having some first-hand experience with immigration, I hope this film will succeed in telling the true story, for the grass is not always greener on the other side! Like in Y Tu Mamá También, the lead characters in The Golden Cage are two boys and a girl.
The Golden Cage (La Jaula de Oro) Trailer
Matei Child Miner (Matei Copil Miner), by the Romanian director Alexandra Gulea, has a classical Coming-of-Age structure – overcoming hardships to become the person one ought to be, but often at the price of innocence. Some people prefer not to watch overly dramatic, realistic productions about hard childhoods, claiming that life is hard enough as it is without getting further depressed by watching a film. Yet it’s usually from that kind of film that one can learn a lot of things about oneself. I urge you to checkout the director’s statement published on the Festivalscope website .
Matei Copil Miner Trailer
These are just few of the many films with a Coming-of-Age narrative that are to be released in 2013. Some of them could potentially be nominated in the next issue of the Coming-of-Age Movie Awards, which TheSkyKid.com presents on an annual basis. Other 2013 titles in the genre include:
You can find all of them by exploring the Ultimate Coming of Age Movie List that TheSkyKid.com maintains on IMDB.
Shadow Of A Midsummer Night ( Midsommernattens Skygge) is a short Coming-of-Age film from Norway about a nine-year-old boy who loses his friend in an accident.
The movie focuses on friendship, grief, support and overcoming sorrow. Beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Kai Miedendorp) relying on lens flare, and bright, warm colors evoke an almost fairy-tale sense of the picture.
Today I will review a book that was considered controversial when it was first released (back in 1969). It is a book written by John Donovan and has a rather intriguing title: I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip. The protagonist of the book is a 13-year-old boy named Davy who has to move from a small town in Massachusetts to New York to live with his mother, after the death of his beloved grandmother who took care of him ever since his parents divorced more than five years before. The boy describes the horrid experiences of losing someone you love and having to adjust to a completely new environment:
“There aren’t many adults I have anything to say to, and now there is one less, with Grandmother dead.”
The only friend who accompanies Davy is Fred, an adorable dog that was given to him as a birthday present by his late Grandmother. In an affectionate voice, Davy shares the many experiences and adventures he and his dog go through. While his mother sees Fred as a “beasty animal”, Davy is positive that the dog understands his every word.
Davy’s mother works as an advertising agent and is not used to having kids around; even her own son irritates her. The fact that she has developed a problem with alcohol makes things even worse for the young teenager. She is constantly after the boy, telling him how her life is being wasted because of him:
“She says I can run away with my dog all I want, but that when I come home I will be coming home to Mother, and I’d better not forget that because it’s Mother’s life that is being wasted …”
At the new private school in Manhattan to which Davy is sent (despite the fact there is an abundance of public schools near the snotty apartment he shares with his mother), Davy meets Altschuler- a boy who despises Davy at first (because the new kid has taken the place of his best friend who is sick with leukemia and has had to stop attending school). Altschuler is a popular kid at the school and doesn’t lack confidence, which Davy (while mature beyond his years) is still to attain. So the boys’ relationship is off to a rocky start, but it soon develops in an unexpected direction…
As I mentioned, the book was considered controversial for its time due to its subject matter: a Young Adult text that addressed attraction to the same sex. Yet, as much as I’ve tried, I can’t get myself to label the book controversial as it focuses more on Davy’s growing up experiences than on the discovery of his sexuality.
I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip is a Coming-of-Age novel, but its narrative cannot be categorized as a “Coming-Out” book. For one thing, the relationship between Davy and his dog would make the novel a better fit for animal lovers (is there a boy who doesn’t love his pet?). But while the book is not controversial, it features an engaging first person narrative coming from a boy who has been emotionally repressed following the demise of his favorite Grandmother. Davy’s remarks about the people that surround him are witty which makes for a satisfying reading experience:
“When people try to hide things from you, they shouldn’t be nice to you. They ought to ignore you or throw a pie at you or do something other than smile …”
I, for one, found it extremely easy to associate with Davy and his experiences (some of which I have been fortunate or unfortunate enough to share) and kept rooting for him to settle in that new environment and find a real friend. For a book written more than 40 years ago, I did not find it dated – which makes it timeless, even if I’d hesitate to call it a Classic. It took me a while to understand why Davy was living with his grandmother and where his parents were, but once he moved to New York things started to make sense.
I read this book in the course of three days, finding myself thinking about its story even while I was not reading it, which I guess evidences how interesting I found it. As a Coming-of-Age account, the book is good — not one of the best I have read — but definitely not a disappointment.
Get yourself a copy of I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip
After a conversation with the site’s editor, you may recall that I set out to discover the gems of the American Coming-of-Age cinema. Since starting on this journey, it’s been both a rewarding experience for me and for the readers of this site, some of whom have complained that most films reviewed here are foreign and hard to obtain. One recommendation from my editor was to see a 1982 film starring Clint Eastwood (who is also its director) – Honkytonk Man.
Honkytonk Man turned out to be an intriguing symbiosis of several genres: Western, Coming-of-Age, Comedy, Drama and, last but not least, a Road movie. Some of these genres could be directly ascribed to the story (the Coming-of-Age one, for example), while others have influenced it in a particular way (the Western influences are like a homage of the classics of the genre which was at its peak when this film was produced).
The action in Honkytonk Man is set in the years of the Great Depression in the American Southwest. Fourteen-year-old Whit (Kyle Eastwood) is helping his parents prepare for an upcoming storm at their family-owned farm. Suddenly, in the midst of the storm, a wildly maneuvering car appears and crashes into a wooden windmill. The driver is soon revealed to be Whit’s uncle, “Red” Stovall (Clint Eastwood), famed songwriter and country singer – who is on his way to an audition at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. He is dead drunk, and it soon becomes clear he’s also suffering from tuberculosis. The young Whit bonds with his free-spirited uncle who treats him as a friend instead of as the little kid he is – an approach that wins the boy’s heart. And then there’s his uncle’s guitar in which Whit shows great interest.
The boy expresses his wish to accompany his uncle to Nashville – something he sees as an adventure and a way of replacing the daily farm routine with the chance to “…be somebody”. Naturally, Whit’s parents aren’t thrilled with the idea – but they let him go because they are afraid that his uncle’s condition may become worse. The rest of the story follows their exploits on the road, where they experience thrilling adventures and meet some interesting characters. Among the latter are singers (Blues and Country stars), scammers (they get shot at), policemen, and ladies of questionable repute (which leads to Whit’s first sexual encounter). These experiences are new and exciting to the young boy – and offer him an opportunity to peek into the world of adulthood– a world to which he will soon be entering. His uncle is both a mentor and a friend to the kid, showing him the manly things to do (most of which happen to be things that his parents wouldn’t approve).
I really like the film and there is more than one reason for that. While the story is not complex or suspenseful, it does feature plenty of funny and heartwarming scenes. As I said in my recent review of The Cowboys — about not being that familiar with the American Western star John Wayne prior to seeing that movie — I also haven’t seen many movies with Clint Eastwood – so I had the opportunity to form an unbiased opinion of his acting. Not only was I impressed by it – his singing skills are on par with his acting.
Intriguingly, the film does not feature any non-diegetic music (none that came from an external source of the story itself) as all the songs were either performed by Clint Eastwood’s character or played on a radio the characters were listening to. This enhanced the film’s mood – and especially its ending — which is by far one of the most creative and memorable endings of a film you will ever see.
But if Clint Eastwood was good, the performance of his son, Kyle Eastwood as Whit, impressed me even more. While this could also be attributed to skilful editing, every time he appeared on camera, he had some facial expression emitting shyness, curiosity or just plain confusion — in a truly natural way. As the story developed so did his expressions, which clearly illustrated the Rite-of-Passage he was going through. His good looks and adorable appearance are another extra.
Unlike most films I have seen, the actors portraying the characters that the protagonists encounter on their journey are equally memorable. From the Black Blues singer to the policemen, to the mechanic who gets hired to fix Red Stovall’s car – while I can’t recall the name of the actors, their characters are alive in my mind while writing this review.
When it comes to the film’s visual aspects – medium close-ups and close-ups of the characters are sparingly used, which increases the emotional value of the film by making the already touching story even more poignant. A lot of attention has been paid to the film’s lighting, with shadow lighting techniques being used to significant effect.
For a film length that exceeds two hours, I was never once bored and kept rooting for a successful outcome of the journey of Red Stovall and his nephew. Honkytonk Man turned out to be one of the best Coming-of-Age films I have seen. I did not even mind the fact that the narrative was not told in the first person – as it was genuinely engaging.
It is highly recommended!
Honkytonk Man Tribute
(May include spoilers)
Vitus is the story of an amazing child prodigy with an IQ that is off the charts at 180. Before Vitus is old enough to go to school, he is already accomplishing things that astound every adult who comes in contact with him. At the age of six, he enjoys his reading directly from encyclopedias and discovers the meaning of words like “paradoxical” directly from the dictionary — completely on his own.
Due to his overwhelming interest and passion for the piano, he excels beyond his teacher’s ability to instruct him, and of course finds it increasingly difficult to be challenged academically with children his own age. After being booted out of one school due to outshining a teacher, he is continually advanced to higher grade levels with students with whom he has nothing in common due to the drastic difference in age.
While you may think it would be wonderful to be so advanced intellectually, Vitus finds his genius to be a curse at times and only seeks to be normal. His parents love him dearly but his mother is consumed by her own ambitions for Vitus to become a concert pianist, and his father is continually absorbed in business affairs. This leaves Vitus feeling conflicted and hopelessly lost. Because his friends and relationships are limited, he finds his greatest ally and friendship in his grandfather who seems to be the only one who really understands him.
Vitus only wants to escape from the trap in which he has found himself. When asked one day; “What do you want do for a career by his granddad, Vitus replies, “I just want to be someone else!” “Who then?” his grandfather asks. “Anyone”, Vitus replies, “I just want to be normal!”. “Then be normal”, his grandfather suggests. “But how?”, Vitus asks. To that his grandfather tosses his hat in the air and says: “If you can’t decide then you’ll have to part with things you like…”
To reveal any more of the story would make this review a spoiler. Let’s just say that Vitus finds a very unusual way to escape the trap that he finds himself in, and still manages to utilize his genius to not only improve his life but his entire family’s as well.
The acting in this movie is superb and I especially found myself captivated with both boys who played the lead role of Vitus: Fabrizio Borsani (age 6) and Teo Gheorghiu (age 12). Both boys are natural in their portrayals of a youngster advanced in communication and intellectual reasoning.
Director Fredi M. Murer has done a great job using camera close-ups to draw the viewer into the movie, and in other ways encapsulating the film’s audience into the story rather than leaving the viewer only as an observer. The writers have created amazing dialog and a thorough characterization of Vitus, producing a character who is both witty and intelligent, but also passionate and loving.
The film is produced in the German language but subtitles are available in several languages.
I highly recommend this film if you have not seen it. It’s an uplifting story that makes you laugh at times, and it will find a place in your heart long after you have watched it! It is rated PG and is suitable for the entire family!
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“Reading books can be a lot of fun when they are not the same ones they make you read over and over and over till you want to shoot yourself.”
Quoting the protagonist of Frank Portman’s novel King Dork is just about the best way I can think of to open its review — for I chose the book on my own, expecting it to be entertaining, and it did not disappoint me. Frankly one can apply this quote to almost anything in life (including writing book and movie reviews) and it still holds true. Basically King Dork has a Coming-of-Age theme, but