Maturing Youth (2018)

Directed by: Divoni Simon | 34 minutes | short film, drama, comedy | Actors: Sean A Kaufman, Kim Paris, Darleen Rae Fontaine, Rae’l Ba, Joshua St. Leger, Albee Castro, Terrence Keene

There’s nothing appealing about the protagonist of ‘Maturing Youth’, a half-hour dramedy by Divoni Simon: with red-rimmed eyes, a pale face and a colorful cannabis-themed robe, he hangs on the couch half-stoned, spooning his cereal with milk inside. Drops linger in his beard. But those outward appearances don’t turn out to be the main reason why the viewer has an instant aversion to this man: Roger (adequately played by Sean A Kaufman) is an immature and selfish good-for-nothing, who doesn’t show an ounce of sympathy and ambition. When his ex suddenly shows up on the doorstep, she has a surprise in store for him: a cute son. If he wants to babysit the kid for a few days.

‘Maturing Youth’ has a difficult start. From a story point of view, there’s little that encourages the viewer to keep watching, because once the mother and child are introduced to the plot, you seem to already understand how it will develop. And for the most part you are right. Of course Roger will have to grow and realize that he has to adapt to live his life as a responsible parent/adult. However, the way in which this happens is so at odds with the first part of the film that no one will be able to say: “I saw this coming.”

However, this does not make ‘Maturing Youth’ a good film. The acting is erratic, which is not necessarily due to the cast – some parts already feel over the top or unbelievable from the screenplay. Cinematographically, there is not much remarkable about the film, although the opening scene is pleasantly mysterious. The (sometimes) handheld camera work gives the film a restless atmosphere, the lighting is not always good and the chosen camera angles can also be discussed.

‘Maturing Youth’ is a mediocre film about getting a second chance. The plot twist itself is not unexpected, but the reason for it is surprising. At the time of writing, no release date has been announced, but for now, no one really needs to put this film on their watch list.