Ahead of next week’s BFI Recommends screening of Almost Famous, Eden Court Cinema Youth Board member Catherine delves into coming-of-age movie nostalgia and the truth about 'being cool'.
Coming-of-age movies are hard to beat. They are what truly made me fall in love with cinema. Focusing on the beauty of youth, colourful journeys and the importance of growth, a warm sense of nostalgia threads throughout these films - making you want to jump through the screen and experience it for yourself.
Almost Famous is the first film that really did it for me. It is one of the few movies which has undeniably changed not only my perspective on life but ultimately the trajectory of it. Reflecting on the freedom and heartache of adolescence, the film follows the life of 15-year-old William Miller, an aspiring journalist who finds himself working for Rolling Stone magazine. His family, like most, is dysfunctional and something to escape from - which he does. Following rock-n-roll band Stillwater, he defies all the values his mother has subjected him to and, in the process, finds his own real morals.
Almost Famous is a film made to be perceived in almost (ba dum tss) any way. For me, it portrays exactly the way music should be experienced. Fully. Intimately. Entirely. Personally. Openly. You don't have to be in the industry to know that music is something that consumes you and becomes your life, your everything. It's about not taking yourself seriously because comfortable is always going to be there. You have to risk your heart and fall in love, face embarrassment and chase the dream. You can always go back to what was. Penny Lane is arguably one of the most important characters because she emulates this idea and reminds the viewer that, despite the aches and faults, your life should be driven by passion and love. There is plenty of time to be dead.
The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool
This quote has stuck with me since I first saw the film. Miller had been chasing the high he felt while hanging out with rockstars, when he was finally being perceived as cool for the first time. The quote implies that our interactions with people are to some degree, consciously or unconsciously, an attempt at remaining cool to our peers. This is something I think we are all undoubtedly a little bit guilty of. However, if everyone is consciously trying to impress each other to preserve their sense of coolness, you end up with a whole load of fakes and phonies. There are no real interactions if no one can be their own, true self.
This is a reminder to both the character and the audience that what really counts are raw moments shared with someone when you forget about needing to be liked and express what you really feel. These rare moments are scattered throughout the film, evoking all sorts of loser feelings. There is no honesty in being cool.
BFI Recommends: Almost Famous screens on Wed 25 Sep, free for 15 - 26 year olds.
This blog was written by:
