TEENAGE explores the development of twentieth-century youth culture in unique cinematic ways

TEENAGE (Matt Wolf, 2013)
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
Opens Friday, March 14
212-330-8182
www.teenagefilm.com
www.landmarktheatres.com

Writer-director Matt Wolf (Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell) and cowriter Jon Savage (England’s Dreaming) explore the explosion of youth culture in the first half of the twentieth century in the innovative documentary Teenage. Based on Savage’s 2007 book, Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture, and various other sources, the film concentrates on the social, economic, cultural, and political development of boys and girls who came of age before, during, and after WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII. Using 135 photographs, 272 rare footage excerpts, and four dramatic re-creations, Wolf, editor Joe Beshenkovsky, and cinematographer Nick Bentgen create a virtually seamless chronological examination of how the young generation took shape from the slavelike child labor of the early 1900s and transformed throughout various movements that ultimately led to a new kind of freedom post-WWII. Narration adapted from original sources is delivered by Jena Malone as an American girl, Ben Whishaw as a British boy, Julia Hammer as a German girl, and Jessie Usher as an American boy; the re-creations feature Leah Hennessey as Brenda Dean Paul of England’s Bright Young People, Ivy Blackshire as Melita Maschmann (voiced by Daniela Leder) of Germany’s Hitler Youth, Ben Rosenfield as Tommie Scheel of the Hamburg Swings, and Malik Peters as Warren Wall, who represents the African American experience. The film delves into the beginnings of the Boy Scouts (preparing America’s youth for military service), the effects of jazz and swing music on the younger generation, fashion trends, consumerism, drugs, race, unemployment, and eventual public rebellion as “teenagers” — a word that didn’t exist until around 1921 — started to take responsibility for themselves as they lost faith in their parents, authority, and the government. Teenage, whose form and structure recall the work of such filmmakers as Bill Morrison, Guy Maddin, and Ken Burns, offers unique insight into the growth of youth culture, making compelling and sometimes surprising connections without stating the obvious or using overly familiar visuals, all set to a subtle score by Deerhunter leader Bradford Cox. Teenage opens March 14 at the Landmark Sunshine, with Wolf participating in Q&As following the 7:40 and 9:45 screenings on March 15.