Category Archives: Coming-of-age

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, America of the 1970s, Coming-of-age, Could Be Sad, Drama, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Good Acting, Homophobia, Mother-son relations, Small Town Atmosphere, Thought provoking

Uncle Frank (2020)

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From IMDB:

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina, for the family patriarch’s funeral, they’re unexpectedly joined by Frank’s lover, Walid.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 34 minute Amazon produced film.

In the American South of 1973 being gay was difficult, to say the least. Frank Bledsoe, a gay man,  has long ago left his southern family in small town Creekville and moved to Manhattan where he could live his life as he wanted. His lover Walid can never return to his native country Saudi Arabia (or risk being beheaded.)

Start by assuming that everyone in Creekville is homophobic.  One of the worst offenders is Frank’s father, Daddy Mac,  whose explicit denunciations helped drive Frank away from home.  When Daddy Mac dies suddenly Frank has some touch decisions: Should he go to the funeral?   Should he out himself?  Should he take Walid?

Frank’s trip back home is interwoven with tragic childhood flashbacks and enlightening discussions with his niece Beth. In addition the stressful situation prompts Frank to return to his former alcohol problem.

Needless to say Frank’s treatment during the funeral is traumatic and cruel. In a very natural way the relatives express their culturally ingrained homophobia, the usual refrain being “You will burn in hell!”

Beautifully acted, thought provoking, and tough to watch.

2015, Acceptable for children, Acorn TV, Autobiographical, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, British, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Coming-of-age, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, Husband leaves wife, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Nostalgia, Quiet, Romance, Senior citizens, Small British village, Small gem of a film, Teenagers, War Deserter, Wonderful photography, WWI

Cider With Rose (2015)

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From IMDB:

In 1918, with her husband working in the War office – and subsequently leaving the family – devoted mother Annie Lee takes her step-daughters and her own children to live in the idyllic Gloucestershire countryside, the youngest being the sickly Laurie, known as Loll. Here they witness two feuding matrons, Granny Trill and Granny Wallon and shelter a young army deserter hiding in the woods until his capture. At school Loll and his classmates are terrorized by the formidable teacher Crabby until hulking Spadge Hopkins literally puts her in her place. Far more important to Loll’s schooldays are the captivating Burdock sisters, Jo and Rosie, and, as he grows into adolescence and beyond, eventually leaving home to seek his fortune, he samples the delights of cider with Rosie.

From Acorn TV:

This beautifully shot, elegiac drama is a coming-of-age story set in a remote English valley post-WWI. Raised by his kindly mother (Samantha Morton, In America) among a pack of siblings, Laurie Lee experiences the wonders of love and friendship but also the brutality of loss and death. “Brilliant performances underpin a lyrical, languid, and poetic adaptation [of Lee’s memoir]” -The Telegraph.

From Wikipedia:

Cider with Rosie is a 1959 book by Laurie Lee (published in the US as Edge of Day: Boyhood in the West of England, 1960). It is the first book of a trilogy that continues with As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). It has sold over six million copies worldwide.

From Acorn TV you can stream this heart-warming 89 minute film.

Annie Lee, the mother, is played by Samantha Morton (Alpha in the 2019 The Walking Dead).  Granny Trill is played by Annette Crosbie (Clarice Millgrove in  Call the Midwife) whose face was immediately familiar to me even though at the time of filming she was 81 years old.

If you want a beautiful yet sad-at-times reproduction of WWI life in rural England from a century ago, DO NOT MISS!

2015, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Coming-of-age, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, New Zealand, Nudity, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Surfing, Teenagers, Uncategorized

800 Words (2015)

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From Acorn TV:

Still reeling from his wife’s recent death, widower George Turner impulsively decides to start afresh. Turner packs up his two teenage children and moves from the hustle and bustle of Sydney to the New Zealand coastal town of Weld, where he spent his summer vacations as a child. The Aussie invaders quickly become the center of attention in this small town populated by weird and wonderful locals.

Acorn TV (still $499 a month) offers this feel-good 1 season 6 episode TV series from New Zealand. Subtitles available.

Doc Martin’s small Cornwall town of Portwenn is not a far cry from the small New Zealand town of Weld. One difference is that George Turner is a normal man (although a grieving widower) with two normal children: daughter Shay and son Arlo.

As far as soap operas go, this one is NOT steamy, although sex has a pervasive influence on the entire plot. Shay has her first sexual romance. All the many beautiful women in the series have their eyes on the eligible George.

Every good soap opera needs a villain or villains and the Weld clan will do nicely in that respect.

But this is a feel-good series and the tension is held to a comfortable minimum. Nothing stays wrong for very long. Frankly it is a relief to have easy solutions to problems pop up regularly.

Watching this series is more relaxing than watching either “A Place To Call Home” or even, heaven help us,  presidential debates.

1997, Acorn TV, Bloody scenes, British, Bullying, Coming-of-age, Crime, Detective, Fascists, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Insurance Fraud, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Murder Investigation, Sexual Harassment, TV Series, Violent

The Broker’s Man (1997)

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From Acorn TV:

There’s never a dull moment in the world of insurance investigation at least not when Jimmy Griffin is involved. An affable ex-cop, his cunning and insight are well-suited to the business of exposing the criminals of insurance fraud.

Kevin Whately is Jimmy Griffen in this series from 1997-1998. You will recognize him when he was 36 years old as Detective Lewis the sidekick to Inspector Morse during 1987-2000.  Ten years later he is Jimmy Griffen in “The Broker’s Man”.  Later when he was 58 years old he had his own series as Inspector Lewis in 2011,2012, and 2015.

Whereas “Grantchester” is civilized, “The Broker’s Man” has a bit more graphic violence. People are beaten, sent to the hospital, and look pretty awful as a result.

Series 1 has 3 episodes. Series 2 has 6 episodes. Each episode runs under one hour. Continuing through all the episodes is a thread in which Jimmy Griffen is trying to get back with his kids and with his wife from whom, at the beginning of the series, he is separated.  In fact his family life is a big part of the series. For example, his daughter entering adulthood has social and school problems.

Nothing special, but watchable.

 

2012, Comedy, Coming-of-age, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, Mental Illness, Optimistic, Quiet, Sex Scenes, Small gem of a film, Talking Heads, Witty dialog

Liberal Arts (2012)

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From Netflix:

A speaking engagement brings 35-year-old Jesse back to his college alma mater, where he’s blindsided by nostalgia and a plucky sophomore named Zibby. Newly single and unfulfilled by his job, Jesse finds Zibby pulling him out of his disillusionment.

Call it talking-heads, call it an hour and one half of feel-good bubbles, but this little gem made me smile. Just enjoy all the philosophical pronouncements, some of them even make sense.

How can you not like 35 year old Jesse (played by Josh Radnor), an ordinary-looking guy with a friendly, sincere smile who is moral enough to think twice about sleeping with a 19 year old college student and warm enough to help a student suffering from manic-depression?

Feel sorry for the other characters who in a negative way help Jesse start to come alive: Professor Holberg (played by Richard Jenkins) who regretfully must retire even though he still feels like he is 19; Professor Fairfield (played by Allison Janney) who has grown cynical and bitter after loveless years of teaching literature.

Enjoy listening to the clever banter between Jesse and Zibby (played by Elizabeth Olsen). Were you like Zibby at her young age ?

Try and see it with someone you love.

2012, Coming-of-age, Crude Talk, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Police Corruption, Revenge, Sad small town, Suspense, Teenagers, Violent, Wonderful acting

Mud (2012)

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From Netflix:

Two Mississippi teens, Ellis and Neckbone, meet a mysterious drifter named Mud hiding on a deserted river island and get caught up in his tangled web of tall tales about bounty hunters, crimes of passion, lost love and a perfect woman named Juniper.

Good acting and an involving storyline make this somewhat violent film worth seeing.

For once Matthew McConaughey is neither romantic stud, tough cowboy, nor clever lawyer. His role here as a fugitive from a revenge killing seems to me to be his best effort at acting that I have seen to date (2013).

Similarly Reese Witherspoon is not a bouncy blonde but plays well the part of an imperfect, sad, basically good-hearted young woman. At first I almost did not recognize her (because at the time one of the villains was giving her a beating – did I mention “violent”?).

Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland, the two kids, are good but do not steal the show. Their tough, down-to-earth, terse, somewhat abrupt manner of speaking seemed to me at times to be too mature for their age.

During the entire film I kept wondering how people can stand living where and in the manner that these somewhat down-trodden characters lived. Beasts of the Southern Wild took place in the same ambience.

Essentially not a violent film, but at least a suspenseful film, this one is worth catching.

2013, Comedy, Coming-of-age, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Optimistic, Teenagers, Vulgar, Witty dialog

The Kings of Summer (2013)

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From Netflix:

Chafing under his widowed father’s control, Joe Toy invites a friend and an offbeat new kid to help him build his own house in the nearby woods. Now that the trio is finally free from parents and responsibility, what’s next?

Do not dismiss this film as just another teen-fling. Granted the main characters are teenagers, but their parents are wonderful comic personalities. Whoever wrote the script has a clever, sparkling, tongue-in-cheek skill with droll sarcasm. But do be prepared for a few obscenities here and there.

To be able to build such a house in the woods seems to me to be fantasy, but just accept it and move along.

Hats off to the three teen stars, including the remarkably offbeat character Biaggio.

Hopefully Kathy and I were not as overbearing as the three parents. At the very least our kids did not run off and live in a ramshackle hut in the woods.

And not a serial killer in sight! Have fun!

2010, Bullying, Comedy, Coming-of-age, Explicit sexual discussion, Vulgar

Submarine (2010)

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From NetFlix:

When he learns that his mother is on the verge of deserting his father for a dance instructor, young Welsh teen Oliver (Craig Roberts) resolves to do whatever it takes to save his parents’ marriage before the end of summer. Meanwhile, the offbeat lad also schemes to seduce pushy pyromaniac Jordana (Yasmin Paige) with nothing but the power of his mind. Richard Ayoade directs this quirky coming-of-age comedy based on a novel by Joe Dunthorne.

Each of us has undoubtedly experienced at least some of the problems facing Oliver in this Welsh coming-of-age comedy. But a lot seems piled on poor Oliver: his parents’ troubled marriage, bullying at school, first love (sound familiar ?). What separates this film from all those many similar coming-of-age plots is Oliver’s unique take on things. There is a kind of crass daring in his methods: how he spies on his parents, his house break-ins to save his parent’s marriage, his fastidious planning of his loss of virginity. And his girl friend Jordana is a real match for him (a pun, since they both enjoy setting fires).

Expect some good sight gags (especially one freeze frame near the beginning). Expect some outrageously frank if not downright crass talk, even from the grownups.

Hope this is your cup of tea!