**What is this then? **Palo Alto, the new film (we say ‘new’ because even though it came out in the US in May and premiered here at the Edinburgh International Film Festival back in June, it’s only just being released in cinemas this Friday) based on James Franco’s collection of short stories of the same name.
Oh that guy... Yeah that guy. This is the film that was supposed to have been the reason why he tried to sext a 17-year-oldgirl in Scotland. Remember that?
Oh yeah. Gross. Why was that allowed again? Mainly because people assumed – although he never confirmed it – that it was a publicity stunt for this very film, in which his character begins a relationship with a 17-year-old girl, played by Emma Roberts.
Ew. Is that as creepy as it sounds? Creepier. He’s a teacher, she babysits his kid. He preys on her when she’s vulnerable, tells her he loves her, plies her with alcohol and keeps a charming smile on his face throughout.
**Um, that sounds terrifying **Yeah, it’s a pretty hard watch.
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Yeah, sounds it. So what else happens? OK, so the plot is centered around a group of high school kids and the tough stuff they face as they attempt to straddle that blurry middle ground between childhood and adulthood in the year before they all head off to college. There’s Teddy, the mild-mannered romantic who’s in love with April and can’t help but get himself in trouble (TBH, drunk driving doesn’t help); Emily, the girl who sleeps around to try and find validation for herself; April (Emma Roberts), the virgin who’s being pursued, nay hunted, by the lecherous Mr B (James Franco); and Fred, who’s just kind of a dick who hates everyone and likes to cause trouble.
Wow, all sounds a bit more exciting than when I was at school. Yeah, these kids are struggling through that rough patch of life where they think they’re ready to flee the nest and crack on with adulthood but are stuck at home living with their parents – all of whom have more than their own fair share of issues to deal with. The kids are big into into drugs and alcohol without worrying about the consequences, light on schoolwork and transient in their loyalties to each other. In short, probably exactly how you were as a teenager.
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So what are people saying about it? Most people have been positive in their reviews. Sheila O’Malley at RobertEbert.com says: ‘Palo Alto is not like other, current films about teens, films that ache with hopelessness and alienating nihilism. Palo Alto sees the sweetness that is there, too, struggling to express itself, and to survive.’
While David Edelstein over at Vulture says: ‘But the most powerful aspect of this strange little movie is the sense that in an instant things could go very, very bad — even if they don’t. Palo Alto puts you on edge because it’s all dangerous corners.’
**And what are we saying? **Despite feeling hell-uncomfortable at the teacher/student storyline and the IRL connotations it comes with, the film is ace. Dev Hynes’ score blends seamlessly with the landscape and envelops the film in an air of wistfullness; a longing for a childhood and a simpler time that the kids have now left behind.
You’ll recognise yourself and your school friends in the stupid stunts they pull, the petulant life decisions they make and the despair they feel when the world seems like it’s getting too much for them. Mainly, it’ll make you remember how damn hard it was to be that age; the feeling that no-one understood you and living life like your parents wanted you do was stupid.
Go, watch and be glad that even though things are still hard, you don’t have to be a teenager any more.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.