Teenage
Director: Matt Wolf
Rating: 4/5
Matt Wolf has returned to the director's chair for his fascinating documentary Teenage: his first feature film since Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell in 2008.
'Teenagers' didn’t always exist. In this living collage of rare archival material, filmed portraits, and voices lifted from early 20th Century diary entries, a struggle erupts between adults and adolescents to define a new idea of youth.
Last year was a truly terrific year for the documentary genre, and if you have not had chance to see Teenage, then it is a film that you really should check out.
The archival footage that Wolf has used really is totally fantastic - it really does become a character in its own right.
Wolf has crafted all of this footage together with great care, to create an intriguing and compelling narrative that takes us through the years.
Through the voices of the young of different periods of time, Wolf tells a story about conflict and a struggle that teenagers faced to find their place in society.
We have seen movies such as Rebel Without a Cause try to tackle this issue, and it is interesting to hear the voices of the adolescents of different periods.
Teenage is both a creative and quite a daring movie, and Wolf really does manage to pull it all together to make an incredibly interesting film.
It is an educational film as well, as we are taken back through history, to see the struggles facing the young that modern day teenagers perhaps can't even comprehend.
From 1904, to the sacrifices made by the young in the Second World War to more modern times, Teenage has a haunting quality to it that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
Teenage is based on the Jon Savage's 2007 book of the same name, and Wolf really has brought that text to life in an incredible way.
From start to finish, Teenage really is a wonderful documentary that is as rich as it is entertaining.
Teenage is out on DVD now.