Regie:
Peter CareCamera:
Lance AcordActeurs:
Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Michael Harding, Jake Richardson, Melissa McBride, Yvonne EricksonSamenvattingen(1)
Set in the rural South in the 1970s in a Catholic school, four pre-teen boys (Kieran Culkin, Emile Hirsch, Jake Richardson, and Tyler Long) create a comic book called "The Atomic Trinity" to channel their creativity, imagination, and rebellious adolescent angst. They each develop their own superhero and, in doing so, live out fantasy lives through their empowered, unchained alter egos. Their evil adversaries are exaggerated characters designed after their teachers: Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) the stark, peg-legged nun; and Father Casey (Vincent D'Onofrio), the shady, chain-smoking priest. The spotlight of the film shines clearly on the handsome Francis (Hirsch) whose crush on his neighbor and schoolmate, Margie Flynn (Jenna Malone), leaves him tongue-tied. Tim (Culkin) is bolder, and so he rewrites a William Blake poem and uses it to bring together secretly dark Margie with wide-eyed Francis. Their relationship flowers into one of the heavier and more mysterious subplots in the film. Margie is instantly written into the comic as a wounded warrior-heroine who enlists the superheroes to help her in her battles against evil. Meanwhile, the boys are busy planning--and occasionally executing--devilish pranks at school, eventually taking things a step too far, to tragic result. (officiële tekst van distribiteur)
(meer)Video's (1)
Recensie (3)
Unfortunately, this film left me completely cold from an emotional perspective. However, it is decently directed, and the performances within the framework of the script are convincing, displaying typical characteristics of the American independent scene. But I do have a certain problem with the script, or rather with what is put in the characters' mouths and how they are instructed to behave... I didn't go to a Catholic school, let alone in the 70s, and I cannot exclude the possibility that the whole story, which carries autobiographical elements, unfolded in rough outlines. But... Boys who want to kidnap an adult puma and place it in the teacher's room are not immature teenagers, but rather incredible idiots, and that is far from being the only motif that seems far-fetched to me. I simply couldn't identify with the characters. Overall impression: 55%.
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A beautifully exemplary example of a work that manages to tell the story of teenagers and convey all their defiance, disrespect for almost anything, and youthful rebellion in a way that grabs you by the heart. The child actors are at their best in how natural they are, which makes sense as they have not yet had time to "live" much and thus appear more "animalistic" on screen, sharing something of their private side with the viewer rather than memorized lines. Specifically, I'm referring to Jena Malone and Emile Hirsch, who are really excellent in their roles. The film has an excellent dramatic momentum, with both storylines gradually building up to a climax, with the final emotional power being quite considerable. It didn't completely blow me away, but it did shake me up a bit. :)
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Very inconspicuous, but a great success in a seemingly exhausted genre of coming-of-age stories. I consider combining intimate drama with the comic book story of alter ego heroes a genius idea, and I want to see the full-length story of the Atom Triplet. The basic storyline is practically perfect due to its excellently portrayed love story and convincingly depicted friendship bond. Thanks to Emile Hirsch's breathtaking performance (who, at the age of seventeen, proves that he has no equal in facial expression) and Kieran Culkin, I will never forget this film. Without the casting mistake of Jodie Foster, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys would likely receive the highest rating.
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