Teen Spirit | Film Review

If there is one genre of television that is completely lost on me, it’s the search for the next great pop star. Not because I cannot fathom the concept of shortcutting one’s pursuit of their ultimate dream. I’m all for that. More so, it’s the impression the conclusion of each event in this mold leaves me with: all of the other vastly talented dreamers are going home empty handed. It’s part of the competition, but it doesn’t leave this passionate supporter of dream hunting any less disillusioned. So, imagine my trepidation walking into Teen Spirit.

Elle Fanning stars – and sings – as Violet, a Polish teenager residing on the Isle of Wight with her single mother. Though her dream to become a singer is attainable due to sheer talent, her trajectory is reminiscent of so many that have come before her, from 8 Mile to A Star is Born: she has a day job that  sucks, suffers through classes, and daydreams of a life greater than her current one of squalor.

The perpetually shy Violet often moonlights as a wannabe singer in shady clubs around her hometown. And this is where she runs across former opera singer Vlad (Zlatko Buric), a man who could easily be mistaken as a drunken vagrant at first – and probably second – glance. Vlad immediately recognizes Violet’s talent (it should be noted that Elle’s voice is remarkably suited to pop music), and agrees to help her achieve her ultimate dream: to win the Teen Spirit music contest (think a global American Idol in its prime).

Teen Spirit is actor Max Minghella’s directorial debut, which he also wrote. Utilizing entrancing cinematography from music video aficionado Autumn Durald, Minghella’s film follows the typical path for a zero-to-hero archetype in a perpetually dream-like state. Violet learns the necessities of her craft, modifies her look, accentuates her physicality, and catches a bit of luck to continue moving upward in her pursuit of stardom. And while the course of the story will surprise absolutely no one, neither do the catchiest of pop songs. Your toes feel the beat, begin to tap, and your body follows the rhythm.

Minghella isn’t striving to reinvent the wheel, because he’s driving us down a road we know all too well. This is an honest story of so many young men and women striving for a shortcut to success. If you happen to have a natural talent – like Violet – then prepare for a bumpy, but fateful outcome. Teen Spirit is less about innovating a subgenre and more about jazzing up our expectations, and what brings the movie to life is the voice behind Violet.

Elle Fanning has steadily increased her indie cred in recent years by taking on starkly varied projects which showcase her breadth of talent, so walking in we are keenly aware that Fanning will create a fully realized character. Yet, nothing prepared me for the possibility that she was vocally capable of her role’s requirements here. Don’t get me wrong, Lady Gaga isn’t fretting anytime soon, but Fanning more than holds her own amidst a clash of talented singers. And as Violet struggles amidst her pursuits, this is imperative if we are to believe she deserves to continue along. One hint of “she couldn’t earn a spot in a county fair”, and the movie loses us forever. In Teen Spirit, Zlatko Buric’s Vlad is an effectively charming and rascally scene-stealer as her Yoda-esque mentor, but it’s Fanning’s complete performance that propels Violet’s plight, and the film, forward.

Selling a story as old as time, with songs that glide on rhymes, Teen Spirit is the epitome of today’s pop music: lacking in substance, but catchy as hell. Max Minghella lands a solid debut, and Elle Fanning once again proves she’s earned the right to sit at the top of the acting charts.