Slamdance 2021 Review: Teenage Emotions

Teenage Emotions (2021) is an American independent film. It was written and directed by Frédéric Da.

The tagline for Teenage Emotions says “what happens within the walls of an American high school?” This is exactly what the film is about. There really isn’t much more of a synopsis to offer. There is no real focused narrative or specific story arc.

Set in a high school somewhere in Los Angeles, the film follows a handful of students, doing nothing more than hanging out and talking to each other. They talk about boys, girls, college, homework, relationships, music, etc. Y’know, the kinds of things that high school kids talk about. We don’t get into any personal backstories. There are no ABC Afterschool Special lessons to be taught. There are no inciting incidents, nor denouments. All there is is kids talking to other kids about stuff that’s important to kids, in the way that kids talk to each other. And it was fantastic.

As part of Slamdance 2021, the film was located in its “narrative features” section. However, the film immediately seemed like a documentary. After a few minutes, I reminded myself that the film was not in the “documentary” section. That, as natural as the film unfolding on screen was, that this was, to a degree unbeknownst to me, a scripted film. I’ll tell you something right now, if this was a fully scripted film, Teenage Emotions has not only one of the most convincing scripts of all time, but one of the greatest collection of child actors I have ever seen. This shit was real.

For the duration of the film, the audience gets the fly-on-the-wall perspective of the various dramas that are playing out at this high school, from the mouths of the students living them. Some students are seeking affection, some are worried about passing classes and getting into college, some are dealing with pressure from other students to conform, all of them are trying to figure out how to be as adult as possible while still being a teenager, and navigating the turbulent social waters of the American high school experience.

The authenticity of the proceedings is remarkable. It has been a long time since I was in high school. Even though I am still me, sometimes when I think back on those days, I realize I was a totally different person. I just didn’t think about things the way I do now. The things that are important to me now are totally different than the things that were important to me then. The further in time I move from that time in my life, the more I lose touch with what it was like to try and exist in the Thunderdome of high school.

Watching Teenage Emotions had me seriously tripping. I was able to see myself in these kids. Listening to them talk, I thought to myself “holy shit, that’s really what it used to be like!” Sure, the lingo and slang have changed quite a bit. I have never in my life used the term “high key.” The popular music has changed quite a bit. We never had quite as many aspiring MCs back in the day. But kids haven’t really changed. If anything, they’ve become smarter and more aware of the world around them. But the way they talk, they way they process and disseminate information, the way they interact, the things that are important to them, none of those things have changed.

It was almost like stepping into a time machine for 72 minutes. Only this time, I got to enjoy all of it from a distance, and not have to endure the emotions, and their requisite intensity. I was able to see my teenage self once again, without having to actually be that version of myself again. And thank God. Nobody wants that guy back. Least of all, me. This time, instead of seeing my peers through the terrified eyes of someone who had to deal with them every day for many years, I got to see them from above. The emotional separation providing me with a clarity and an even-handedness that was absolutely impossible when I was among their ranks.

Like so many other films at this year’s Slamdance, this was a first feature from writer/director Frédéric Da, and it is an impressive debut to be sure. How did he do it? How did he script such an impressive, naturalistic narrative? How did he get these exceptionally believable performances from his cast, if they weren’t actually going through all of the stuff they go through? Seriously, how is this not a documentary?

As impressive as this film is, I’m not quite sure who this film is for. It lacks the provocative salaciousness of films like Kids (Larry Clark, 1995) and Thirteen (Catherine Hardwicke, 2003). I doesn’t strike me as something that teenagers would really flock to. I mean, except maybe for the ones that were in it. It doesn’t seem like the kind of fare that the filmgoers who suckle at the Disney or MCU teat, an audience that seems to make up the majority share of American audiences, would give a shit about. Even for those who enjoy artsier cinema, It seems like it might be a little light. I don’t know how any distribution company would make any real money off of this thing, but Goddamn was it well done.

I suppose it’s good that this thing likely had a microscopic budget. Teenage Emotions is a fantastic reminder that filmmaking is about storytelling. You can have all the big-budget special effects, A-list casts, and exotic locations you want. But if the story isn’t there, you can have all of that and still not have very much. Fortunately Frédéric Da had a story to tell, and he knew how he wanted it told.

Prior to viewing the film, I wasn’t expecting much. By the time it had reached its conclusion, I was stunned at how real and accurate Teenage Emotions was. In full disclosure, there were a couple of scenes that felt staged to me. Not in a clumsy or blatantly phony way, but there was a couple (and it was only a couple) of scenes where I though to myself, okay, I have a suspicion that this scene has some coaching and/or scripting going on. Other than that, every scene plays out like you are listening to real conversations from real teenagers. Not everyone is going to be impressed by it, but I sure as Hell was.

P.S. There is a song by LCD Soundsystem called Sound of Silver on their album of the same title. It is the last track on the record. The refrain goes “sound of silver, talk to me/makes you want to feel like a teenager/until you remember the feelings of/a real life emotional teenager/then you think again.” This jam and its accompanying lyrics are extremely appropriate in this situation. So I’ve embedded the video here for your enjoyment. Happy listening!