A futuristic western with a sci-fi twist and impressionistic visuals, Jake Paltrow’s latest film, Young Ones, focuses on residents of a small farm town who must learn how to coexist despite the lack of water. Paltrow successfully creates an aesthetically beautiful film, which at times overshadows the strong script and impressive performances by young actors Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult and Kodi Smit-McPhee. As the director of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and brother of Gweneth Paltrow, it’s no wonder he was able to bring this film to life with a small budget.
Set in a dystopian dust bowl, siblings Mary and Jerome Holm, played by Fanning and Smit-Mcphee, must quickly grow up due to the absence of parental guidance and structure within the town. As the rest of the inhabitants live with a “survival of the fittest” mentality, the youth culture prove to have the most insight into the towns issues and therefore are able to strive. The film starts off with the wonderful Michael Shannon as Ernst Holm, the father of Mary and Jerome, who is purchasing a bionic donkey. As the film progresses, rebellious Mary (Fanning) dates bad boy Flem Lever (Hoult), who seems to have his own agenda for saving their town: by whatever means necessary. Hoult and Smit-McPhee shine as siblings in a dysfunctional family during a time of crisis while their angelic mother (Aimee Mullins) is in the hospital being held together by a metal contraption. When Jerome realizes that he will ultimately be the one taking charge of their broken family, he sets out on a journey to discover what he wants out of life and how to get it.
Paltrow packed his Spaghetti Western inspired sci-fi drama with countless tender moments revolving around young love, sibling rivalry, curiosity and courage, making this a coming of age treat. The primary motif represented in Young Ones was the idea of waiting. Waiting for water, Mary waiting for her boyfriend to return, Jerome waiting to expose Flem, etc. Paltrow makes it clear that this is our flaw as Ernst Holm says, “Waiting is a fucking disease, you think something, you do something.”
The film leaves you feeling bittersweet especially when this idea of a drought was inspired by real life events (Chile, Yemen) which Paltrow was drawn to explore.
In case of emergency, buy a bionic donkey.
Young Ones will be relased in theaters this Friday, October 17th
Who Should Watch It: People who want to escape with Nicholas Hoult for 2 hours
Who Shouldn’t Watch It: People expecting a Clint Eastwood film
Review by Danielle O’Neill. Follow her on Twitter @doneill13.
