Whatever the genre of the film, if it is about teenagers, it will definitely make you plunge into the world of youth, adventure, carelessness and the first strong emotions. Such films can reveal themes of cruelty and loneliness, they can charm first love and the desire to assert themselves, or they can simply demonstrate the world through the eyes of a child.
The 400 Blows (1959)
Francois Truffaut’s debut feature film about the life of difficult teenager Antoine Doinel. His mother does not find time for her twelve-year-old son, because she is very busy with her personal life. And she has no desire to delve into her child’s problems.
Even the stepfather has no influence on the mother. He is too soft and weak-willed to even influence Antoine. Another adult who cannot find a common language with a teenager is his teacher. He just screams and punishes Antoine, which causes a completely unnecessary reaction. The guy and his friends run away from problematic families and stop attending school.
Boyhood (2014)
Director Richard Linklater filmed his film over the course of twelve years. With this innovative project, the director shows the world through the eyes of a child over the years.
He began his story in 2002, when the main character of the film was six. And he ended when Mason reached adulthood. I observed members of the same family, noticed changes, reactions to various situations.
Moving, school, family problems, first love and experiences are reflected in the life line of the boy Mason, shaping him as a person.
Suicide Hall (2011)
An original interpretation of the themes of suicide, loneliness and hopelessness – all this is embodied in this unique film by Jan Comas.
The plot revolves around an ordinary guy Dominic. You might call him incredibly lucky, but Dominic has everything teenagers dream of. Many friends, loyal parents, friendship with the first beauty of the school, a lot of pocket money. However, what he has is not enough for him.
Everything changes when he meets “her”. “She” attracts and makes Dominic’s life brighter and more fulfilling. It seems to the guy that this is exactly what he was missing. This is how Dominic ends up in the Suicide Hall.
Battle Royale (2000)
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, this dark futuristic drama is set in the near future of Japan. At the beginning of the new millennium, the state collapsed. Unemployment reached 15 percent. Millions were left without work. 800 thousand schoolchildren dropped out of school. The government is launching an educational project “Battle Royale”.
On a desert island, 42 teenagers mercilessly destroy each other because only one can survive. The film is called a high-tech variation on the theme of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.
Correction Class (2014)
Russian drama film by Ivan Tverdovsky, based on the story of the same name by Ekaterina Murasheva. The film tells the story of Lena Chekhova, a new girl in a special class at a Moscow school. She comes to a class filled with children with various disabilities after years of homeschooling. The school provides an opportunity for troubled children from disadvantaged families, disabled people and difficult teenagers to gain the necessary knowledge. In such a group, Lena becomes acquainted with the cruelty of the world around her, understands that there is no friendship and that no one should be trusted. But this is where she finds love.
The Student (2016)
Russian drama film directed by Kirill Serebrennikov based on the play “Martyr” by Marius von Mayenburg. The plot of the film revolves around a seemingly ordinary schoolboy, Veniamin. But he has his own position in life, which he strictly adheres to. Benjamin is an ardent Christian who believes that he knows more about morality than all the people around him. He teaches others how to follow the rules and constantly fights with those around him, because they do not understand him. Benjamin tests everyone, because his every action and the actions of others must follow the word of the Bible.
Tribe (2014)
An experimental film by Ukrainian Miroslav Slaboshpytsky. “Silent cinema of the 21st century”, in which the roles are played by deaf and mute non-professional actors. The author refuses to talk; all the characters use sign language, which is not translated by voice acting or subtitles. In this way, the viewer is told the story of the deaf-mute Sergei’s first love.
Sergei finds himself in a specialized boarding school for people with poor hearing, where the criminal company “Tribe” rules. He strives to take a worthy place in the hierarchy of this school and becomes involved in several robberies. And then he meets Anna, who works as a prostitute in the King’s gang and is his concubine.
The drama shows all the personal qualities of a person, and how society influences the individual, how the hero acts and is guided by what when he finds himself in a hopeless situation.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
American comedy-melodrama film by Wes Anderson, telling about the events of the 60s of the last century.
The mysterious disappearance of a twelve-year-old boy scout and a girl from a local family puts the entire island off the coast of New An on edge. The search yields results, and in the end the teenagers are found and separated. But neither public opinion nor the strongest storm in recent years can defeat first love.
After Lucia (2012)
The film is about how the seemingly happy and carefree world of teenagers is, in reality, not at all like that. Children are often very cruel.
The plot revolves around an attractive girl, Alejandra, who moves with her father to Mexico City and goes to a new school. She has to fully plunge into this world where strangers are not welcome. From the outside, this school seems quite happy, but what actually happens there is terrifying.
Alejandra spends a lot of time with her friends, they smoke, drink alcohol and drugs, and constantly hold noisy parties. After some time, she loses the respect of her company and experiences the cruelty of her once best friends.
Dreamers (2003)
An erotic drama by Bernardo Bertolucci, which tells the story of the sexual revolution in a single Parisian apartment, filled with cinematic allusions. It takes place against the backdrop of the 1968 student riots.
Young American Matthew comes to Paris on a student exchange program to improve his French. Meets his peers Isabel and Theo. A trio of young dreamers, in the absence of their parents, organizes an amazing movie-loving game: they have their own reality and their own world – the world of cinema.
They watch movies all day and night without leaving home. Cinema became their life. At first it is just a hobby, then it becomes a complex web of psychological and sexual relationships. Meanwhile, riots on the streets of Paris reach their climax.