Photo: Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
In September, Hulu released No one will save you, a disturbing feature from sophomore Brian Duffield as writer and director. Much of the sci-fi thriller’s praise comes from its almost complete lack of dialogue, and that’s entirely justified—it’s not a distracting gimmick, but the natural result of a stripped-down story centered on the lonely life of a troubled young woman. But Duffield It has He’s demonstrated his mastery of writing smart, character-driven dialogue and directing an ensemble of natural actors before, in his feature film debut, an adaptation of Aaron Starmer’s young adult novel. Spontaneous.
Paramount allowed Spontaneous will have a brief limited theatrical release in early October 2020 and will be available on VOD the same week. But this looks like a hybrid genre coming-of-age movie that could be a huge success if the right platform and timing were chosen (ideally, not six months into a pandemic that’s forcing movie theaters to close). It would even feel right at home on Netflix’s slate of original films, alongside teen romance adaptations like To all the boys I’ve loved before and violent dark comedies such as Nanny (also written by Duffield). If there is justice in this world, it will one day achieve cult classic status.
Spontaneous It centers on Mara (Katherine Langford) and Dylan (Charlie Plummer), two high school students who fall in love at a high school where students begin spontaneously exploding one by one. It’s a bleak backdrop for a love story, especially when we constantly see the very real fear on the faces of students and parents like Charlie (Rob Huebel) and Angela (Piper Perabo). But Mara and Dylan simply enjoy spending time together, and Plummer’s infectious golden retriever energy is a perfect match for the sardonic riffs of class clown Langford. And although the threat of one of them exploding is always present in the background, this does not stop either of them from embracing something new. In fact, it is this fear that pushes them forward – just as it pushed Dylan to act and admit his love in the first place.
The focus here is not so much on unraveling the origins of the “Covington Curse”; Everyone speculates, but no one expects a definite answer. The real area of interest for the script is how a group of teenagers would react to a scenario as bizarre and scary as this one. Much of the film’s humor arises naturally from these circumstances and how profoundly they will change a realistic teenager’s everyday perception of the world. Jokes become the most visceral and believable way to cope with the horror of our current reality, as in this post-coital joke about premature ejaculation: “I’m so glad I didn’t explode on you. I just kept thinking, “Please don’t explode.” Please don’t explode.” “You guys have it so hard.”
There’s a lot of real resonance in Spontaneous; It’s tempting to find parallels with COVID-19, especially during one of the episodes set in quarantine, although, of course, the film was filmed before the pandemic. More often (though not always), the “Curse of Covington” refers to the epidemic of school shootings in this country. This metaphor becomes especially clear when one government official tries to console the class by saying, “You have all our thoughts and prayers. »
This comment provokes incredulous laughter, an understandable reaction from a group of children who have long been accustomed to hearing this nonsense. Even the most well-meaning adult authority figures here have a hard time understanding what the children in their orbit are going through. A father buys his daughter a weed control pen for Christmas; One handsome teacher admits to his students that while he can help them graduate, he can’t guarantee everything will be okay. It makes you think about the actual parents and teachers who have to face this dilemma every month in this country. after another national tragedy: How can you be a source of comfort to your children when the harsh reality stares them in the face?
Too many young adult stories that deal with grief leave their young characters traumatized, filling their daily lives with misery and dysfunction. But for now Spontaneous shows his share of unhealthy coping mechanisms, he also understands that suffering simply becomes a part of life. Teenagers still fall in love. They continue to laugh, have fun and long for each other even though they are losing friends. They worry about going to college, gradually losing faith that they will make it to graduation. They have their own problems, both as a result of Covington’s curse and completely separate from it.
The film really has its own emotionality, especially in the second half. But it’s the effort to balance the dark with the light – both through the grounded sincerity of the titular romance and the satisfying edge of the dark comedy – that is key to its success. It’s true that trauma robbed these children of the carefree senior years they deserved, and those who survive will likely deal with fear and survivor’s guilt for years to come. But Duffield’s script argues that perhaps there is some solace to be found in the shared experience and in the knowledge that, over time, life does indeed go on. It is something Spontaneous always remembers, in every hilarious and destructive moment.