Teenage Wasteland (2006)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Andrew Jones

Writer:

Andrew Jones (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 June 2006 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Do you really know your kids?

Plot:

A hard hitting,documentary style look into the lives of three teenagers and their dysfunctional families in Swansea,South Wales. |

Cast

Richie Bessant	...	Lewis
Gareth Brooks	...	Morgan
Scott Delap	...	Rapist #2
Kayleigh Edwards	...	Nicky
Tom Evans	...	Rapist #1
Ross Graves	...	Party Boy #2
Eloise Howe	...	Crystal
Rachel Howells	...	Anna
Steve Ingham	...	Karl
Natasha Jerwood	...	Party Girl
Lee Lewis	...	Party Boy #1
Stephen Lewis	...	Gary
James Lilley	...	Leon
Sarah Lloyd	...	Caroline
Rhys McHale	...	Clarence
John Norton	...	Alan
Huw Richards	...	Briggs
Andrew Slater	...	Rapist #3

Runtime:

UK:67 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:18 (uncut version)

Filming Locations:

Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company:

Steel & Glass Films

Trivia:

Producer Gavin Dando originally appeared in the film as a drug dealer called Jaffa. But his scene was later cut.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Leon borrows money from his mother, gaffer tape used to set the actor's marks can be seen on the table in front of them.

Movie Connections:

References Kids (1995)

Edgy,Low Budget Drama

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I recently watched this having been passed the DVD by an actor friend involved in the film. It's far from slick and is very low budget but I was really struck by it. I really liked the randomness of the conversations, and it all looked very natural, also the male rape scene was extremely hard to watch, very hard hitting even though it's all played in darkness and we only hear it. And while the direction is raw, I think it showed a lot of promise and originality, at some points the camera movements even made me dizzy! Very effective.

I thought that there were some real stand out scenes for me. when the teenage protagonists are getting stoned in the woods,that was phenomenal, the natural constant banter, it was hilarious. The scene where the protagonists gang beat up the antagonists was really brutal. I think considering the very low scale budget that was a real achievement as it looked like a bloody nasty fight. the best moments of the film come in the last ten to fifteen minutes. the way it builds to a turbulent climax for the teenage characters certainly gets the message across.

The filming style is definitely aiming for documentary,it reminded me a little of 'baise moi' or 'the idiots'. There's no fancy shots in there, its more realistic with all the shots being at shoulder level of the characters, etc no big sweeping shots from cranes or anything like that, so you really feel a part of the film when watching it. the camera moving from person to person whenever there was a gang of teenagers chatting seemed to be more of how the eyes would move if you were sat there. You would look at whoever was talking, thats real life - its interesting that its rarely shown on screen like this, even though its the most true-to-life style.

The acting is where the film can be really uneven though. there's some inconsistent performances,particularly from one or two of the kids,but then I think they were first time actors so you kind of forgive that a bit. some of the performances are excellent though, particularly the teenage girl.I thought she was sullen and moody in just the right dosage and that's probably a very accurate portrayal of a lot of teenage girls nowadays,she's definitely at the centre of some of the strongest scenes in the film. What I also liked was that whereas the other kids' problems stemmed from almost a lack of love in some part of their life, she was loved too much. it was an interesting twist on what makes teenagers feel unhappy, again something that's not often represented in this kind of 'teen drama' type of film.

All in all,despite a distinct lack of budget and the odd uneven performance I think this is a pretty good first time effort and it certainly aims for truth and reality and for the most part achieves it.