Finnish This Movie
Young Gods (Hymypoika) (2003): 7 out of 10: For once I would like to see a teenage drama where careless foolish teenagers get away with being well careless and foolish. Nobody gets hurt, pregnant, married, commits suicide, tragically killed ect they just act like complete idiots and go off to college. Kind of like real life for a lot of kids.
On second thought there are movies like this but they are all have Porky’s in the title. Young Gods is unfortunately a teenage drama. Which means no foolish action will go unpunished.
Before the drama really kicks in, we have a super realistic look at the lives of four teenage boys. The movie nails the attitudes and actions of young males of that age group and the pace while leisurely reflects the indifference to time people of that age have. (It also reflects the boredom that comes with no school and no job.) The movie also has a surprisingly naturalistic attitude about nudity and sex. The young actors’ nudity may shock some, but it felt non-sensationalist and rather realistic.
They overdo the plot about voyeurism and constant filming (see drama above) and the results of the boys’ actions seem far more draconian than one would expect in real life. But this is after all a movie.
Despite being relatively slow placed and occasionally over-dramatic, Young Gods is an enjoyable, realistic and fresh coming of age film.