Indie Film Review “All Is Fine In ’89” It’s all one big party until the specter of actuality comes calling in unforgiving and solemn manner
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW:
First, the Recap:
The passage of time and the onset of newly created history. It would feel safe to say that, as adults, the years seem to just FLY by. The days of school (which seemed to go ON and ON), the joys of endless Summers, if anything, it was just…simpler. Or….was it? When we look back at the formative years that made up high school, it can become quite an exercise in realizing just how ignorant we really might have been, when all was FUN and the future…well, it can WAIT. Right?
For those attending Romano High, all that is afoot is teen attitudes and mixed “concern” about college, being READY for it, or about anything that comes AFTER graduation. Why? It’s the focus on an upcoming “field party” that has the denizens abuzz. However, for students Linda (Dani Romero), Mark (Adam Lupis), Cole (Tom Keat), and Dean (Dylan Hawco) plus teachers Mrs. Applewood (Shelby Handley) and Mr. Parker (Damien Gulde),this will be nothing short of a life-altering time….for good or ill.
Next, my Mind:
Up front, you might take a gander at the poster for this 100-minute indie feature film arriving from writer/director/co-producer Matthew Lupis and co-producer Adam Lupis and cry something akin to another film franchise’s moniker “NOT another teen movie!!” It’s a genre that’s assuredly been done before, explored in 80’s style with the likes of “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” or “The Breakfast Club” to more contemporary efforts such as “Ladybird” and “Booksmart”. So, while said references were AWESOME films, I would be lying if I said I didn’t go into this new project with SOME trepidation. Thankfully, something occurred that I am ALWAYS happy to see manifest when NOT necessarily having absolute expectations in place ahead of time….it surprised me! It’s a teen film alright, but it carries the weight of far more adult themes and attitude while preserving what we might anticipate, combining it all into what turns out to be a winning cinematic offering!
Now, I also must be up front that ONE facet that prompted my interest was the fact the film takes place in a decade I am VERY familiar with (yeah, yeah, ok, I just dated myself. Deal with it! LOL). The narrative primarily follows six characters…four students and two teachers…and the trials they all end up enduring while simply attempting to BE who they are yet cope with the decisions they’ve made, not all of them good. But it’s more so HOW the film chooses to address these faults, these choices, these consequences, these ripple effects that each of them experience that gives the film teeth. This is NOT always light-hearted, even appropriately irreverent, teen shenanigans here (though mind you, there IS plenty OF that!). Quite the opposite, and as hinted above, the depth of issues these kids AND adults are making and encountering are wholly impactful, life-altering, revealing, heartbreaking, jarring, and persuasively compelling, no exaggeration.
The themes being put forth once more do what indie cinema is SO adept at doing…providing relatable, grounded, stirring, shocking truths into our minds in a way that promotes the kind of contemplative reflections on it all that it SHOULD, frankly. Journeys into fears and uncertainties about the future, smoking, drinking, drugs, cliques, college prep, pregnancy, bullying, the tedium of classes, trying to find your identity, the mental and physical damage of trauma, AIDS, the specter of abuse in multiple forms, suicide, even murder are all here, along with classic 80’s references to things like Dungeons & Dragons, diner hang-outs, classic ads, and history itself being changed forever due to current events. It’s a realistic adventure at the end of a decade known for its excesses and more carefree ways, at least in the forms it all took.
And the MUSIC! The film’s original score by André Gámez is nothing short of “Stranger Things”-style brilliance, so beautifully creating a perfectly evocative ode to the decade this narrative exists within, transporting you there with pop-inspired synth waves and arena rock-oriented guitar solos! Totally rad, man! BUT, one must also acknowledge the sheer potency and gut punch that the finale we’re provided delivers. With all the humor (and drama) that’s taken place up to the film’s third act, how everything comes to a head is one , really profound, glimpse into the aforementioned ramifications that arise in the wake of teen ignorance and harsh realities. But again, this is why the film IS so unexpectedly captivating, raw, candid, and unapologetic in its intent and ways that it chooses to depict the actions and attitudes it does. Just be prepared.
Romero is such a study in abject vulnerability, stolen innocence, and haunted insecurity about a rash decision she made that has completely upended who she really wishes to be through her role as Linda. She makes every attempt to navigate each day like “normal” WHEN each day is anything BUT for her, the shame she feels dominating her soul, much less when further revelations about it all just smack you with devastating power. Lupis paints a well-composed and quietly energetic portrait of someone wanting to fit in beyond his “station” in the school hierarchy through his turn as Mark. Simply wanting to be a good guy, a trusted friend, and accepted by the “cool kids”, Mark’s willing to do things for the latter while they choose to “embrace” him to a certain extent. But, he’s also the target of bullying that becomes the catalyst for one of the film’s most shocking moments. It’s an understated performance executed with poise and purpose.
Keat shines here as the the King Jock/bully of the school who exerts his will on a moment’s notice when he feels lessened, ignored, and somehow “wronged” by anyway dumb enough to start something with him. Yet, as with so many bullies, could it really be a far more deeper issue within himself that drives him to act out and try to be “bigger” than he really is? The bravado Keat brings is as intense as it is heartbreaking, a teen also only wanting people to like him…and the possible secrets he’s harboring. Hawco channels his inner “Steve Harrington” to a “T” and adds even more swagger, charm, and cockiness to it through his performance as Dean, the school’s resident “IT” boy with particulars obsession for cars, being Casanova, and for one other thing he SHOULDN’T. His idea that he’s living the dream, however, could end up becoming what does him in, and how Hawco guides the character through it all is a true treat to watch.
Handley assuredly begins pulling a “Mrs. Robinson” to a certain degree here through her role as Mrs. Marie Applewood, a young teacher whose own life outside of the school is anything but fulfilling as it is, but gets topped off by having a rich….fantasy life….to try and assuage the loneliness she feels. Her heart is good, making efforts to assist another student with a highly difficult choice. Whether she can reign in her OWN desire to be seen and fulfilled remains to be seen, as REALITY can be a hard taskmaster. It’s another emotionally wrenching performance, similar to Romero, and so well acted. Gulde generates an air of empathy that is palpable through his role as Mr. Mike Parker, another teacher who is more than laid back, hippy-like, and hence received a lot of chiding and hard ridicule from students like Dean. It’s a pot waiting to boil over, and Gulde embodies the fractured state of a pent-up, tired of being disrespected man on the edge.
Ensemble casts are awesome, and this one carries the torch well, with primary supporting appearances and just great performances by Eliza Z. Khan, Francesca Fotia, Veronica Bergr, Camille Blott, Marlon Dent, Jordan Kuper, Hakeem Campbell, Bryce Johnson, Sam Moskowitz, Adam Stein, Shane Cunningham, Brian Russell, Giacomo Piccolo, Sean Irvine, Rebecca Graham, Ted Powers, Olivia St. Louis, Paulina Luciani, Shawn Vincent, Trent Robichaud, and Joseph Chiu. As I often say in these cases, “BRAVO, all, BRAVO!!” So, in total, “All Is Fine In ’89” is the quintessential contemporary throwback teen drama thanks to independent film’s way of taking that which has been done before and creating something fresh from it. It pays tribute to the decade it resides in, delivers mature themes contained within young perspectives, and isn’t afraid to NOT tread carefully amongst it all, a realistic, unapologetic foray into what’s really going on under the big hair, loud cars, leather jackets, slick attitudes, and wholly misguided notions of what is right…and what the future holds.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
