Maybe it was editing issues to keep the film at 93 mins, but I would've liked another 15-20 mins added to the ending. Decent time was spent in the beginning building the characters and the story, then near the end the 'conflict' between Violet and Vlad just happened/ended too quickly, and the ending was just too simple and basic, without any more story between Violet and Vlad, and even her mother. His directing was excellent, the cinematography on point, and the story was good, but I feel the ending was rushed. I was pleasantly surprised that one of my favorite characters Nick, from the Handmaid's Tale, Max Minghella, made his directorial debut, and also wrote (his second writing credit) this film. Anyone other than her die-hard fans can easily skip this one, however. She single-handedly made me care at all for the proceedings, and that is a tough ask for anyone, albeit one as young as she.
#THE VOICE CROATIA LET ME SEE BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL MOVIE#
Overall, this is a movie that is absolutely carried by Elle Fanning's continually ascending stardom. There's never any time to just savor what should be strong character moments because they come so fast and furious for the entire runtime. Is this a film about a struggling country girl embracing her singing talent in the face of adversity? The Violet/Vlad relationship? Losing one's self or having to make the tough decisions that fame brings? Teen Spirit tries to tackle all of those scenarios and ends up coming off as rushed, with none of the characters ever really being given room to expand or grow. The main problem with Teen Spirit is that it tries to cover wayyyyyy too much ground for a film that only runs about 90 minutes. Without her, this would truly be a wreck. In a film that moves far too fast or superficially to create any real emotion, her performance alone elevates the entire experience further than it even should be. Her acting talent is a marvel, as she can play the sullen, blank-faced, hopeless type just as perfectly as the peppy, bubblegum pop star. As I mentioned, Fanning is easily the star of the show here and nothing else even comes close. As such, she lists the help of local drunkard (yet former opera singer) Vlad (Zlatko Buric) to become her ad hoc manager. The only problem? She needs a guardian signature and knows her mother will not provide it. She enters the UK Teen Spirit competition (think American Idol here) and advances to the next round. Despite that rather drab existence, Violet loves to sing and has a talent for it. They seem to be living in near-poverty, working multiple menial labor jobs to survive. For a basic overview, Teen Spirit opens with teenaged Violet (Fanning) living in a small English town with her mother (Agnieszka Grochowska). Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I took from the film, as the rest seemed oddly rushed and emotionally stilted. I was initially drawn to Teen Spirit because of Elle Fanning, who is one of my favorite actresses and always seems to give an inspired performance in whatever I see her in.