Rollercoaster (1999)

Director:

Scott Smith

Writer:

Scott Smith (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A film about a choice - between a life holding on, or a death letting go.

Plot:

In pursuit of fantasy, five teenagers hop the fence of a now defunct amusement park. While apparently a mindless diversion, for two of them the park is the setting for a more fatal bid at escape.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Amusement Park | Dead Dog | Brother Brother Relationship | Gay Interest

Awards:

7 wins

Cast

Brendan Fletcher	...	Stick
Kett Turton	...	Darrin
Crystal Buble	...	Chloe (as Crystal Bublé)
Brent Glenen	...	Justin
Sean Amsing	...	Sanj
David Lovgren	...	Ben

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content, drug use/drinking, all involving teens.

Runtime:

90 min | USA:88 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

British Columbia Film Commission

Goofs:

In the very beginning, in the left hand corner, you can see the director's head and camera box.

Quotes:

Chloe: We came here to die together, Justin.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

A realistic, bleak look at adolescence

Remember being a teenager? The feeling of isolation from everyone and everything? The certainty that things are as bad as they can get and they won't get any better? Scott Smith certainly does, and he uses that knowledge to make the film "rollercoaster" one of the most disturbingly realistic looks at adolescence since "Kids" and "Dazed and Confused" in the mid-'90's.

Darren, Chloe, Justin, Stick, and Sanj are five kids from a Vancouver group home who break into a theme park that's gone out of business and whose equipment is about to be auctioned off. The point of this is Darren and Chloe--pregnant with Darren's child--have made a suicide pact and want their friends to be there with them when they jump off the roller coaster. Justin--Darren's younger brother--and Stick--a sociopathic bully who is secretly in love with Darren--don't like this plan, but feel powerless to stop it.

And that's what this film is really about: feeling powerless. The only way that the suicides can be averted is if these kids express their feelings honestly. Darren needs to tell Chloe he loves her. Justin needs to tell Darren he needs a brother. Stick needs to tell someone he's gay. But these kids only know what they've learned in the group home: hippie-dippie psychobabble alternated with sexual abuse. And so they vandalize cars and drink and smoke pot and Stick beats people up and Justin draws cartoons and they all rail about the meaningless of life.

Because this is a debut film (and because it is from my native Canada), it is riddled with flaws: we never learn much about Sanj, and a subplot about a pedophile security guard just doesn't work. But this is an impressive debut from Scott Smith. Imagine what he could do with a budget (but only as long as he keeps in touch with his inner suicidal teenager)! 7 out of 10.