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TEEN SPIRIT
Director: Max Minghella Cast: Elle Fanning, Zlatko Buric, Agnieszka Grochowska, Rebecca Hall, Archie Madekwe, Ruairi O'Connor MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:32 Release Date: 4/12/19 (limited); 4/19/19 (wide) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 18, 2019 Violet (Elle Fanning) really wants to be famous. She wants to sing, too, but at a certain point in Teen Spirit, it becomes clear that the drive for fame is at the forefront of the movie's mind. That's to be expected, one supposes, because every performer has to possess at least a little bit of an ego. With that comes the desire to perform in front of as large an audience as is reasonably possible. In today's world of reality television and multiple televised singing competitions, there's an unreasonable expectation that dreams of fame are just a few songs and a little luck away from becoming a reality. In terms of drama, that's far less interesting than, say, an amateur singer trying to scrape by on intermittent gigs or even a professional one realizing that fame comes at a cost. Writer/director Max Minghella's story exists somewhere in the middle of those two ends, and it never quite finds a dramatic arc for Violet's tale, save for the fact that she begins her journey without any fame and then, one day, she has fame thrust upon her. After that, she wants even more. Admittedly, there is a little more to Violet than just her quest for fame and the televised means of accomplishing it. She comes from an impoverished, immigrant family on the Isle of Wight, and living on a farm without many friends has made her shy and quiet. Her father left the family some years ago, and the 17-year-old works as a waitress to help make ends meet. To support her love of singing, Violet sings in the church choir and, lying about her age, performs at a bar—a bus ride or a long walk away, in order to keep her mother Marla (Agnieszka Grochowska), who's religious and protective, in the dark. At least, we suppose, this back story gives us a reason to hope that Violet will gain fame and fortune by the end, and Fanning's reserved performance certainly makes Violet an underdog in the world of showy stage presence. To be sure, her story is far more involving when her singing comes at a little risk (keeping it from her mother and juggling it with the job that makes money) and with the potential for having to make sacrifices (working less, which would put herself and her mother in more financial trouble, and missing out on a gig because of other obligations, which could mean losing the only opportunity that makes her a semi-professional singer). In theory, the stakes become higher when Violet is competing on an international stage, against singers with far more training and experience than her, for the chance to be discovered by a huge audience and maybe even a record label or two. They simply don't feel that way, especially compared to the more realistic, day-to-day stakes of a home life, school, a job, and trying to find time for one's passion with everything else happening. Violet decides to audition for a TV singing competition that broadcasts out of London. When it turns out that she needs a parent or guardian's approval to participate, she enlists the aid of Vlad (Zlatko Buric), a former opera singer and a regular at the bar where Violet performs. The two have become sort of friendly after he gives the girl rides home from the bar. Vlad agrees to pretend to be Violet's uncle, as long he can be her manager and give her some formal vocal training. Everything unfolds almost exactly as one would anticipate, although there are some unexpected developments. There's something refreshing in the fact of Vlad's singing lessons, which serve as a reminder that natural talent can only get a person so far. The mother isn't as sore about her daughter going behind her back or as antagonistic to the idea of Violet being on television as one might imagine, which means that Minghella is smart enough as a screenwriter not to introduce conflict where it isn't necessary. There even comes a moment when we think Violet's dream may be finished before it even gets a proper start. One wonders what that story would look like—to be filled with a level of hope in something attainable, only to have it disappear. Minghella gives the aftermath just enough room to breathe that we think such a tale might be a possibility here. Instead, though, the story proceeds down an obvious path. Minghella does put the competition itself on hold, in order to explore how Violet reacts to Jules (Rebecca Hall) offering her a recording contract—before the competition announces a winner. She can get exactly what she wants, but it means abandoning Vlad. One could argue that the choice is really between handing over her destiny and making it her own, but in practical terms, it seems like Violet potentially taking a gamble on getting more. The framing of this story really doesn't do it or the main character any favors. Teen Spirit ultimately is about reaching for fame and unimaginable success over all else, and with that view, the final argument seems to be that nothing but fame and success actually matters. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for some suggestive content, and for teen drinking and smoking)
