If you thought teenagers had been around since the dawn of time, painting #YOLO on innocent cave walls, think again. New York filmmaker Matt Wolf has a new documentary, Teenage, to remind us that the term dates back only as far as the end of World War II, when young people emerged from the wreckage to help jolt the world back to life. Rebels with a cause, they exploded in a riot of dancing, fashion, sex and revolt. All are evident in the film’s new trailer. It debuts here and it’s well worth a watch.
The film, which won plenty of admirers at the London Film Festival, takes Jon Savage’s book Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture as a diving-off point into the flappers, swing kids and sub-debs. Even the dreaded Hitler Yoot get their moment in the sun.
If you think that sounds like heavy social history, think again. It’s energised, fascinating and fresh take on a group that deserve a lot better than Project Xs of the world. And if you’re not thinking that, keep thinking what you were thinking before. Click on the image below to take a closer look at its poster. Jena Malone and Ben Whishaw will be two of the doc’s familiar-sounding narrators to listen out for when **Teenage **kicks off in UK cinemas on January 24.