Beyond Clueless

Synopsis

This Kickstarter-funded labour of love from British blogger Charlie Lyne uses clips from over 200 American teen films of the last twenty years to try and get under the skin of what messages they convey to their young audiences. By dissecting films as diverse as cult 90s horror The Craft and crude backpacker comedy EuroTrip, the film explores how cinema has represented topics such as sexual development and the conflicting emotions that come with graduating from high school. Lyne successfully provides a case for why the genre deserves to be taken seriously, even if the documentary’s ideas may prove harder to grasp for those who aren’t nostalgic for the films and their era.