Delinquent

GRATEFUL and DELIGHTED that Peter Hall's marvelous DELINQUENT, here in Summer / Fall 2024, is back and bad and beautiful as ever; one of our favorite films of all time. We stand with our courageous, defiant young hero's explorations in the world and in the mirror, alone and with his pals, coming to desire, adventure, tragedy, salvation, rage, beauty, chaos. We celebrate Hall's gorgeous cinematography, the timeless score by THE GANG OF 4 and the gorgeous silences, the music of breeze and crickets, bull frog and water lily, and his perfect eye for mysterious mythology and symbolism. NOT TO BE MISSED !! RUN don't walk to catch DELINQUENT !

I just watched this film again for the first time since it came out in 1995. That it didn't find the broader audience it deserved back then always struck me as odd. It still holds up really well for a few reasons. It does a great job of conveying the pain of adolescents dealing with the messed up world foisted on them by uncaring adults who ought to know better - a scenario that all too many know all too well. The actors are utterly believable: you can't help feeling sorry for their characters as one poor decision after another leads to an unexpectedly violent ending. The film is brave enough to allow quiet moments to linger. These moments create the mounting tension which the audience knows has to lead to some sort of an explosion. Sure enough, when the stories of the two teens from opposite sides of the track merge, it inevitably leads to tragedy. The astute direction, camerawork and lighting are all spot-on - all credit to the director Peter Hall on what, as far as I can make out, was his only feature. The moody score by The Gang Of Four heightens the tension and drives the action. This is a film that still ought to find its way to a bigger audience.

Not the usual `teen movie', but also not the usual `Unusual teen movie'. The story is quite `trivial', a thoughtful teenager with a loved mother away and a father-policeman badtreater and rude who makes his son's life harder. There is also an attractive teacher, a girl, a friend and a lonely house. Things happen.

O.K., we know what kind of film it is, but from that point, we can find a very `easy to watch' film. There is no problem ,it is quite correct and pleasant, all the places are beautiful (New York State, not the city) , and it has the special `air' of these kinds of films (for TV, very odd).

Furthermore, it has a beautiful song and the characters are intimate. If you find this movie by chance (there is no other way), you can fill some dead time decently. Better than many.

Did he say something about an underwear fetish? A few minutes later I realise the boy's underwear fetish is central to the film's plot. The overstated arrogance of the kid's father is perhaps bearable, but once the promiscuous ex-teacher appears by chance, my jaw drops. The ideas could make a great John Waters film, but this is played straight, with stunningly wooden acting worthy of any porno. One of the most perplexing movies I've seen.

I saw this movie long ago and I've been looking for it forever. It's not the best film, but it has something that makes it appealing, different. Tim deals with his terrible life, fantasizing he's a hero, and saves the day. Nothing new, so far. But the way the story is told and the simple, yet full of details, performance of the actors (i.e. the main character) makes it angrily haunting. I enjoy the way the "fantasy" part is integrated with the "real part" as if we were always witnessing the kid's mind. It's hard to tell whether it's really happening or he's daydreaming again... until something off-the wall happens. I think beyond the "moral" of the story, the plot is "realistic" enough to be considered for a "debate" class. The ending (no spoiler) is one of the most honest I've seen in a long time. After watching it I was "shocked" for a while.