The teen film genre is iconic. Its films have been utilised as almost guidebooks by most pre-teens and teenagers, offering them an often unrealistic glimpse into teenage life, and the relationships, parties, sex and drugs that apparently come with it. Now I can't say that my teenage years have adhered strictly to the formula presented to us by teen films, I highly doubt that anyone can truly say that really. Amazing Project X-esque parties and finding your future husband/wife when you're fifteen is not very common in real life. However, iconic films such as Clueless, Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You are salivated over by people of all ages, endlessly quoted and referenced no matter how old they are. For example, Clueless has just recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, yet remains as current and inspirational in 2015 as it was in 1995. Teen films often adhere to specific ideology and tropes. There are always cliques, school dances, the bitchy popular girls and the geeks. Story lines revolve around losing virginity, becoming the most popular girl in school and finding the love of your life. Everyone has a car, there's parties every weekend and high schools shell out potentially thousands of dollars on elaborately themed school dances.
Now when one thinks of a teen film, they think Mean Girls, Clueless, She's All That, Bring It On and almost all of John Hughes' filmography to name a few. The American Pie films will be mentioned, someone will drool over Cher's wardrobe and almost inevitably "she doesn't even go here" or "you go Glen Coco!" will be yelled enthusiastically. However in this post I will write about a few films which would be regularly forgotten about or not mentioned at all in regards to the teen film genre, but I feel, wholeheartedly belong within it.
One of my life-long missions, alongside becoming a well-known director and winning an Oscar, is introducing the wonder of Heathers to as many people as possible. Not many people can say that they've watched the 1988 cult film, which is a pity because of how truly brilliant it is. Starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers tells the story of a girl called Veronica, who struggles to fit in with the popular clique, a group of three girls, all named Heather. After meeting a guy called Jason Dean, they begin to reject and fool around with the school's strict social structure by killing the popular teenagers. The film deals with social structure, the attitude towards teenage suicide and how people react to and recklessly follow trends, which I feel is still insanely topical for this day and age. As well as that, it is insanely quotable, which upsets me because I know so few people who have seen it. Not many films nowadays could get away with gems such as "fuck me gently with a chainsaw, do I look like Mother Teresa?", "are we going to Prom or to Hell?" and "whether to kill yourself or not is one of the most important decisions a teenager can make". My dream is for this unreal film to someday become as popular and quoted as Mean Girls. That probably won't happen but I can still hope. Bonus points as well for the perfection that is eighties Winona Ryder.
Another commonly forgotten film is Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. This ethereal and dreamy depiction of a group of sisters' descent into depression and eventual suicides, is both haunting and beautiful at the same time. Due to it being set in the 1970s, it also has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long time, and houses amazing 70's fashion. I really, really adore everything about this film. It offers a really closed off look into depression due to the story being told through the neighborhood boys, which I think is a unique feature. Usually we gain a personal insight into the main characters but with as is the case with The Virgin Suicides, we never do, making this film a rare portrayal of the teenage experience.
My final film is another Coppola gem, Palo Alto, which is directed by Gia Coppola. Based on James Franco's series of short stories, Palo Alto doesn't exactly offer us a clear concise story with a beginning, middle and an end. Rather, it offers us a brief glimpse into the lives of a group of teenagers in California. This film has a lot in common with other teen films, you have bitchy girls, sex, drugs, alcohol, and one of the best directed party scenes (in my opinion) that I have seen in a long time. However, what makes Palo Alto different is that it has a bit more substance than the norm, its characters are coasting away with little or no direction, and sex, drugs and parties are used as a backdrop to their bigger issues. This is not a feel-good, happy film. It deals with bullying and child abuse to name but of a few of the issues introduced. However, they are combined with absolutely beautiful cinematography to once again present a dreamy landscape filled with troubled souls. Released in 2013 to generally positive reviews, it seems to have flown under the radar, which is surprising due to the prominence of big name actors such as Emma Roberts, James Franco and Nat Wolff. Palo Alto is a gorgeously realistic film, and is one I highly recommend.
Feel as if there are other underrated teen films? Please drop a comment to tell me, I'd be happy to read them!
