WASTED YOUTH // A FILM REVIEW OF "HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN"

BY MATEO MORENO

Set in 2003, HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN, which is based on the 2014 novel of the same name, is a stylistic, punk fueled ode to lost youth and the struggle to face a fastly approaching adulthood. The film centers around three Irish friends who have just left school - Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Kearney (Finn Cole) and Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Those who are familiar with the novel will note immediately that the character of Cocker has been completely erased. Matthew works in his families automotive shop and has a crush on his friend Jen (Anya Taylor-Joy). Kearney has plans to leave Ireland behind and head to the US where he thinks women will be all over him. While Rez is often stuck as their third while and silently battles mental illness. All three boys seem to revel in chaos (with Matthew occasionally showing a level head). They bust up cars, break into their old school and party the night away at party after party, getting as drunk and high on pills as possible.

All three of their lives take a sudden and dark turn when they witness a young girl get hit by a car. All three boys take the tragedy in different ways: Matthew can't get the images out of his head but refuses to face them head on, Rez sinks into a pit of depression and Kearney finds that the car crash unlocks something inside of him, something dark. He begins to film himself doing crude and horrible things, sinking lower and lower into these vile acts. Jen and Matthew fall into a relationship quickly but the accident pushes them farther and farther apart. Through more parties, more drugs and more bad decisions, the trio of friends embark on a future that looks very different than they planned on and might not be able to hold on as it spins out of control.

Eoin Macken's film (which he co-wrote with the novel's writer Rob Doyle) is stylistically sharp and even somethings haunting. But unlike another "youth gone wild" film called TRAINSPOTTING (which is clearly an inspiration), the more surreal moments of the novel don't translate as well. In both the novel and film, there's an oddball surreal game show called BIG SHOW! that takes place entirely in Kearney's subconscious mind. We see it here as well but it also flows through Matthew's mind (but not Rez's, for some reason). It's a bold and risky move, one that the film can't quite pull off. Instead, the sequences are often jarring and confusing, muddling more than enhancing. The actors are all quite solid, and even though it's very clear that Kearney is an abusive manipulator from his first moment on screen, Finn Cole powers through the role with a horrifying fierceness. The roles of Rez and Jen are both sadly underdeveloped, which is a shame since both Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Anya Taylor-Joy are both strong screen presences (this was filmed far before Taylor-Joy's current fame, courtesy of THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT). She does the most she can with the role, but sadly ends up only being a catalyst for Matthew's growth and not a fully developed character of her own. And as the only meaty female role, it's a bad look for the film to have. In the end, HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN seems to be unsure of what it wants to say, or at least how to tell us. So we're left guessing what point they're trying to make among all of the toxic masculinity, which may be the reason the feeling you leave with is quite a hollow one.

GRADE: C+

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY Rob Doyle SCREENPLAY BY Rob Doyle, Eoin Macken DIRECTED BY Eoin Macken STARRING Dean-Charles Chapman, Finn Cole, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Conleth Hill, Ralph Ineson. NOW PLAYING IN DIGITAL CINEMAS EVERYWHERE. FOR MORE INFO: HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN

"CODA" // SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021

BY MATEO MORENO

There are films that so heavily rely on familiar storytelling territory that throughout the story, you'll keep telling yourself, "I've seen this before," possibly turning it into a chore of a viewing. Then there are those films that walk a well-worn path but improves on it. CODA, I'm happy to say, is that kind of film, one that introduces a world that feels fresh, hopeful and wholly original. A remake of the 2014 French film LA FAMILLE BÉLIER, CODA (which stands for "Child of Deaf Adults") follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), a 17-year-old hearing daughter to an entirely deaf family, who all work on the family's fishing boat in Massachusetts. Being the only hearing member, Ruby has spent her life being a translator for her parents, doing everything from communicating to local fishermen to awkwardly having to tell her father's doctor about her parents sex life during a checkup.

Her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) relies heavily on Ruby, so much that her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) sometimes feels invisible, as if he can't do everything Ruby can simply because he is deaf. That being said, it's a loving family, one that has found its exact rhythm over the years. At school, Ruby has a solid best friend in Gertie (Amy Forsyth) but is also often teased. She's quiet and unassuming, the perfect target for a group of insecure popular girls. However, when she sees her secret crush Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) sign up for choir, she decides to take action and instantly do so as well, almost without even realizing she does. Ruby sings often, to herself as her family can't hear, on their fishing boat but never in front of others. Yet her choir teacher Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez) sees something special in her, something that makes him want to privately tutor her in hopes of landing an audition for Berklee College of Music. Just like that, Ruby's life is turned upside down.

Writer/Director Siân Heder has done a fantastic job adapting the original story into a crowd pleasing sure to be hit. Her transformation of the family from dairy farmers to local fishermen is an inspired one and gives the film a powerful weight. Another notable change is that Ruby's family are all played by deaf actors, something that the original did not feature (only the son was played by a deaf actor in the original French film). Emilia Jones is truly a standout here. She holds a quiet power throughout the film, blending self-deprecating humor with a wispy innocence that tears away at your heart. She also does her own singing and her voice is anchord with the sound of someone who has a lot of stories to tell. Daniel Durant, as the overlooked son, gives a searing intensity to his character and as her loving parents, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur are a great dynamic duo. They both give fully realized performances that feel lived in and fresh. Though they aren't always as understanding as Ruby would hope (Matlin, once she finds out that her daughter wants to sing, asks her, "If I was blind, would you want to paint?"), the four fit so perfectly as a family you may swear that they actually are. There are plenty of happy tear moments throughout (from the Berklee audition to the end, this critic was a bit of a mess) and even more joy to be felt. CODA is an earnest, quietly powerful film that will surely warm you over instantly.

GRADE: A-

BASED ON THE FILM LA FAMILLE BÉLIER WRITTEN BY Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Éric Lartigau, Thomas Bidegain SCREENPLAY AND DIRECTED BY Siân Heder STARRING Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2021 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: CODA