By Eva Garber, Arts Contributor
When we think of the concept “coming of age,” we immediately think of Catcher in the Rye. The Myth of the American Sleepover is every bit a coming of age film, however, there is no need to look beyond the screen for the elemental truth that this film seeks to display.
Myth first premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France and was screened again for the indie festival SXSW 2010. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, a native of Detroit, this film captures coming of age with grace and sincerity. At several points throughout, I had to remind myself that this was a film not based on truth yet it was in many ways truer than most films I’d seen, verging on a near documentary style account.
Much like the film Dazed and Confused, this story takes place over the course of one life altering night, in which hormonal curiosity is transformed into reality.
Perhaps you’re wondering what the myth regarding the American sleepover actually is, and I would have to tell you that it’s not a myth regarding sleepovers at all. Mitchell pulls on our heartstrings when he reminds us of that point in our lives when we first understood the feeling of nostalgia, when we looked back on our childhood at the dawn of adolescence and waved goodbye to the innocence of youth.
The purpose of this film is to depict what is true to all American teenagers, or more universally, all North American teenagers. We are not necessarily given a place in time but we are given subtle hints that the story occurs in modern, midwestern United States. The musical selections tell us that this is modern day, despite the retro cinematography. One song that resonates in my mind when thinking of this film is Beirut’s “Elephant Gun.”
Of the four story lines Mitchell follows in this film, one of these characters is bound to speak to you. There is Maggie, the precocious high school junior who I can only describe as Edie Beale-esque with short hair and no shame; Claudia, the timid sophomore with an unfaithful boyfriend; Rob, who desperately seeks the pretty girl from the grocery store and Scott, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Neil Young, and contemplates dropping out of university following a traumatic break up.
There is a particularly telling scene in this film in which Maggie’s older, lifeguard boyfriend explains to her that there is a myth behind adolescence, by which we are tricked out of our childhoods with promises of adventure in our teenage years.
I wish I’d seen this film when I was 12-years-old. Perhaps I would’ve recognized how lucky I was to be young. This film is an easy watch that evokes subtle nostalgia and guarantees some laughs.
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