Thursday 11 July 2024

VOD: Memories Of A Teenager a.k.a. Yo Adolescente (dir: Lucas Santa Ana, 2019)

"Someone somewhere has to be going through the same thing."

This Argentine youth drama tells the story of Nicolas, who blogs about his mid-teen years.  It is a familiar cocktail of navigating friendships, relationships, sexual identity, soft drugs and finding your place in the world without being too melodramatic, in spite of the heightened catalogue of experiences that Nicolas goes through, including suicide and his girlfriend's pregnancy.  As the protagonist himself proclaims, not all teens are stereotypical, and the film portrays more grounded and regular everyday life, even if bigger events like his best friend's suicide rubs shoulders with sun-dappled scenes accompanied by gentle lilting music.  Renato Quattordio hits the right tone in the lead role, as does Thomas Lepra as his best friend, Tomas.  For the most part, as an affirmative view of teen life the film fulfils its mission, even if it does come across as a little too shiny and optimistic at times, until it turns very serious and sombre at the end where an unexpected bleakness hits hard and drives its overall message home firmly.



 

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