In ‘Spontaneous’, Katherine Langford becomes a high school hero in the middle of a very real global pandemic

Photo: Paramount Home Entertainment

Mara Carlyle (Katherine Langford, Rising) finds growing up very difficult when all her friends inexplicably start exploding in “Spontaneous”

The high school coming-of-age comedy is an iconic Hollywood genre, one of the few places where young female characters have historically been presented and written as real people, even with the myriad of exaggerated characters. Even when working together, with real voice, performance and tenacity. .Still universal issues.

From Samantha Baker (16 candles) to Chris Parker (Adventures in Babysitting), Veronica Sawyer (heathers) to Olive Penderghast (easy a), such characters have served as inspiration and role models.

She has helped other young women around the world find their voice and she has helped countless young men not only figure out how to talk to girls, but also figure out how to treat them with respect. What to do and, more importantly, how to listen to them. What they need and want.

Well, guess what, it’s time to add another name to the list of all-time greats: Mara Carlile.

Mara (Katherine Langford) is your ordinary high school senior, except she isn’t. She is outspoken, quick-witted, and wickedly self-aware. She name checks obscure movies, (literally) bites the hand of a boyfriend who thinks it’s okay to touch her without permission, and, in a hysterical flashback, wears a funeral veil the day after Donald Trump was elected president. and becomes completely black.

When a teacher asks why she’s wearing such tight clothes, Mara doesn’t miss a beat: “Because I’m so sad.”

But, as her classmates begin randomly erupting in a torrent of blood and gore, whether in the classroom, on the football field or at a party, Mara becomes a threat not only to her imaginary friends, but to any high-school age. Becomes a ray of hope for the class. A slightly older audience is watching spontaneous In the midst of a very real global pandemic.

spontaneous There is a joy. It’s edgy, disturbing, surprisingly dark, and – like Mara – wise beyond her years.

It takes the traditional structure and narrative thrust of a classic coming-of-age story and completely subverts it in a way that aptly applies to the current COVID-19 crisis.

I challenge anyone not to fall for Mara and her beautifully written and perfectly acted love story with Dylan (Charlie Plummer), the boy who finally finds the courage to confess his feelings. Is, even if the world around is becoming calm.

more importantly, spontaneous Incredibly smart.

Through Mara’s eyes, words and actions, spontaneous Offers a perfect blueprint to deal with the ups and downs and every possible unexpected obstacle that comes in life.

I can’t think of a better film at this important time.

John W. Allman has spent more than 25 years as a professional journalist and writer, but he has loved movies his entire life. Good movies, terrible movies, movies that are so bad you can’t help but support them. Since 2009, he has produced a review column and now has a website dedicated to genre films that are often overlooked and interviews with cult cinema favorites such as George A. Romero, Bruce Campbell, and Dee Wallace. Are. contact him at Blood Violence and Babes.comOn Facebook @BloodViolenceBabes or on twitter @bvb_reviews,