“Young Ones” Finds Beauty in Disaster

Today there is no shortage of dystopian looks at the world’s future in our media—post-apocalyptic worlds and dystopian America seems to be all the rage.

What you rarely see is a story set in a dystopian America told in such an intimate manner that it harkens back to the golden age of Westerns—enter: “Young Ones.”

The film directed by Jake Paltrow (yes, Gwenth’s brother) tells the story of one family in a future where the world is in an endless drought and water is the most precious resource. Starring Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, and Elle Fanning, the film is a story of family, guilt, blame and revenge.

“I try hard to try to make something that feels that we haven’t seen it exactly like this,” said Paltrow. “To me the movie is very much a Western.”

Paltrow’s approach is apparent from the first scene of the film, a scene where Ernest Holmes (Shannon) handles two bandits with his shotgun. Shannon emulates some of the greatest genre icons like Clint Eastwood and Gary Cooper, selling Paltrow’s familiar, but unique vision—a vision that was very apparent in the film’s screenplay.

“Despite all the futuristic elements and environmental elements, it’s a very personal film for Jake,” said Shannon. “It came through for me in the writing.”

A sharp screenplay and a clear vision usually equates to a good film—to make a truly great film that resonates with audiences, you need great performances. Shannon is not the only one that delivers—each of the film’s young cast members give performances that not only are layered, but beyond their years.

Fanning plays Ernest’s daughter Mary—a girl, like many young people in Paltrow’s desolate future, forced to grow up fast. She carries a hate for her father and that has a lot to do with her love for Nicholas Hoult’s character Flem, who is not very fond of Ernest either.

“I’ve never been pregnant in a movie before,” laughed Fanning when discussing her role in the film, which is a lot more grown up than her previous work. “You could classify this as the most grown up, but Mary in some ways is very childlike.”

For her onscreen lover, Hoult an actor accustomed to being the youngest person on set could not be more impressed with his young costars talent and work ethic.

“It was odd for me being one of the older people in the cast,” said Hoult “They are so smart and talented.”

One of those costars, Smit-McPhee, making a transition from child actor to teen actor is making the transition quite well. His performance as Jerome, Ernest’s son, is one that will sure catch the attention of audiences and directors.

The “Paranorman” actor was drawn in by the material, which offered something that not many films do for actors his age: depth.

“I loved that each character had their own amazing heaviness and depth,” said Smit-McPhee when describing what was so attractive about the film. “It’s a movie that’s simple to watch and enjoy.”

One thing that is radiates through the actor’s performances is their chemistry. Each scene feels as if these interactions are actually happening between people who have known and lived together for years. This effect can be credited to the cast’s living situation during production.

In South Africa, where the film was shot, the director and cast lived in guesthouses where after long days in 115 degree weather would come home and decompress together.

“That really did bring everyone together, said Paltrow.

Shannon and Hoult got along to well, Paltrow jokes how he had to intervene just because of the friction between the two in the actual film.

Everything from the performances, the chemistry, the beautiful direction and the writing all come together to make something you just don’t see anymore at the movies anymore. Some times we overlook the things that make film such a beautiful medium, characters that feel real.

A sense of reality that coms from a filmmaker determined to make something that sticks with the audience by telling a story about character’s living in a devolved world.

“They are personal things in all of these characters, said Paltrow. “It’s not autobiographical in any way, but it is personal.”