‘Young Ones’ Review: Another Sci-fi Classic

The indie Sc-fi genre seems to be where it’s at these days. This year alone, films like “I, Origins” and “The Signal” took small budgets and shot them up into the stratosphere with big ideas and deeply emotional themes—you can now add “Young Ones” to he growing list of great independent sci-fi films.

The Jake Paltrow helmed film takes place in a future where water is the most precious resource and most of the country has reverted back to the days of old America, a proverbial dust bowl. Starring Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-Mcphee and Elle Fanning, “Young Ones” is an old west feature packaged in a dystopian future gift-wrap. Exploring revenge, blame and home—“Young Ones” is beautiful and stands alone- a kind of film you just don’t see anymore.

“Young Ones” is set in a  bleak future. The land is dry; water is nearly impossible to come by. We start with chapter one: Ernest Holmes. Ernest (Shannon), a father of two, makes a living working the supply routes, supplying workers. Ernest is a well-respected man in the community; his two kids Jerome (Smit-McPhee) and Mary (Fanning) are not his biggest fans—especially Mary. Mary’s boyfriend, Flem Lever (Hoult), does not like Ernest- at all.

Lever blames Ernest for taking his father’s land, which is feels was his birthright. A frustrated and manipulative young man, his relationship with Mary and his burning anger towards Ernest brings the two men on a collision course that threatens to tear the Holmes family apart.

Its hard to say what works best in the film—considering it is so well executed, top to bottom. There is rarely ever a time where Michael Shannon is off point. The veteran actor still manages to find ways to surprise audiences with increasingly complex roles like that of Ernest. Shannon commands the screen and like the screen heroes of the many great westerns in American cinema, Shannon is able to do so much with very little words. Playing a man who does not carry an ounce of blame in his body and is so attached to his home even when it seems all is lost he clings to the hope one day he will see his land go from brown to green. Shannon is given a great sparring partner as his character goes toe-to-toe with Hoult’s Lever.

Hoult is known for playing good guys, guys who play by the rules—Flem Lever is not one of those guys. Even with is good guy image; Hoult breaks free of that with his performance by playing the very antithesis of Ernest, a man filled with blame. Hoult is not a mustache twirling bad guy, but a misguided man who will take every shortcut to get what he wants even if that means manipulating the woman he loves. Although Hoult’s performance is a refreshingly new direction for the young actor, it is not the only one.

Both Smit-McPhee and Fanning play much more mature roles than we are all accustomed to seeing. Playing children forced to deal with adult circumstances in an unforgiving world that makes children grow up fast. The young actors are deliver performances well beyond their years and showcase their incredible range. Credit must be given to Paltrow for not only directed the film, but also wrote the screenplay.

Paltrow creates a world where themes like blame, revenge, home and family can be explored in a way that is easily digestible, but the more and more you think about the film it digs even deeper. He gives his actors room to operate with a screenplay that is not heavy-handed in any of it’s themes, therefore respecting the audience’s ability to capture them and follow the character’s journey without a huge cue card saying “Hey, this is the message of my movie.” It’s rare to see a filmmaker put an infinite amount of trust in the audience. This trust and the trust invested the actors’ abilities give “Young Ones” it’s lasting impact once the credits roll.

And the hits just don’t stop there with “Young Ones,” it does not just stop with Paltrow’s confidence in his cast and the audience but his attention to detail. Everything from the film’s score and set pieces, match the ambition and heart of the rest of the film. Shot in South Africa, the location brings to life the dry world the Holmes family live in. With not a body of water in sight and an unforgiving sun, it is almost impossible not to be drawn into the world Paltrow has created.

“Young Ones” is just a work of art. Every facet of the production has details and subtleties that every moviegoer can appreciate. Performances, direction, writing, set-design, and music—it all comes together to make what is one of the best films of the year.