Teenage

Based on the book by Jon Savage, Matt Wolf's documentary offers an engaging history of the emergence of adolescence as a distinct developmental/social category bridging children and adults, which simply didn't exist prior to the 19th century. Laws curtailing child labor in factories were the first distinguishing event, followed by public schooling and the Boy Scout movement, both of which were originated to combat the “hooliganism” embraced by youths who now had too much time on their hands. The transformation accelerated during the early 20th century, when World War I put adolescent soldiers in European trenches, followed by a post-war frenzy that created the thrill-seeking youths of the Roaring Twenties. Later, the Depression also brought movements specifically designed to offer direction and hope to the young, but it was World War II that truly led to a definitively identified teen culture that gave rise to deeper social concerns while simultaneously witnessing the first commercial efforts directed towards this newborn demographic. To tell this story, Wolf interweaves music (from the Charleston to jazz and the Sinatra mania of the 1940s), readings from period journals, and archival footage together with technologically “aged” recreations (without clarifying which is which). Wolf's idiosyncratic methodology sometimes gives Teenage a dreamlike feel, but overall this is an informative and entertaining film. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Matt Wolf and producer Kyle Martin, a “making-of” featurette (16 min.), archival film footage that includes clips from Thomas Edison's 1897 “Pillow Fight” (15 min.), an “On Set with the Bright Young People” behind-the-scenes segment (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an engaging documentary.] (F. Swietek)