Coming-of-age films never seem to be running out of steam. Adolescence changes with each generation and technological advancements broadening the breadth a story can encompass, all while capturing the unchanging youth and turbulence of growing up. It’s what keeps these stories churning and, more importantly, keeps us coming back. Coast, from directors Derek Schweickart and Jessica Hester, tackles the tumultuous journey of Cassie (Ciara Bravo) as she navigates through a journey of family and self-discovery.
Coasting through a Narrative
Coast is incredibly engaging in its opening credits, opening on a group of young girls, one about to get her nose pierced. There is an immediate understanding of the personality of the various girls, the film’s main focus immediately emerging. As the piercing is a success, the cops arrive, the girls fleeing through the abandoned and darkened streets, trying to evade arrest. While the film is not specific as to why they can not be out where they are, it is more the feeling of rebellious youth that seems to be the important element – one that will carry through the film’s entirety.
As they jump yards, their personalities further develop, with some fearful of what will happen if they are caught, others reveling in the chase. The spectrum of personalities comes to a crescendo as, in a moment of trespassing, a man threatens the girls with a gun, one girl calling his bluff, exclaiming “go ahead, kill your youth. We are all you have left.” It is a potent opening, engaging and intriguing, the final worlds of Kristi (Mia Rose Frampton) a brutal potential for the film.
Unfortunately, Coast, while still an entertaining film, does not live up to the promise the opening delivers. As Debora (Cristina Alonzo) throws her husband’s belongings into the yard, viewers are met with a more subdued Cassie (Ciara Bravo), quietly watching her mother just barely hold herself together after a devastating breakup. As Cassie struggles to deal with the aftermath herself, her rebellious nature growing more and more as time passes, there is an initial understanding of the bond shared between mother and daughter – one that is not only tested as the film continues but threatens to break within the predictability of adolescence.
What becomes confusing as the film progresses is whether this is a film focused solely on Cassie, or if this is a story centered around the mother-daughter relationship. It seems to head in this direction for a moment, before focusing heavily on Cassie. As Cassie begins to engage with a local band stuck in town, audiences are given breakaways to Debora working at the local hospital and caring for one particular patient named Olivia (Melissa Leo) in particular. These cutaways from Cassie not only disjoint her journey of discovery but also blur the focus on who this film is really about. Mother, daughter or both?
While the focus of the film and its end game becomes clear as it continues, Coast threatens to lose its audience at various points as it toys with a stagnant narrative. Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy and girl wants to leave for a boy are tried and true storylines, but for Coast, they do not engage the audience beyond a mild curiosity for where the film is going.
Conclusion: Coast
While it is gorgeously filmed and decently performed, the story itself becomes the crux of the issue. Many of the characters are introduced for narrative push than a true sense of inclusivity. Kristi in particular could have become more fleshed out and given some meat to her character and back story, becoming more of an effective force on Cassie than an environmental influence. The lack of understanding of the characters surrounding Cassie and Debora works sadly to the film’s detriment.
Coast from the very beginning needs more of a narrative push and an understanding of its characters. It also lacked a cohesive and clear direction for both a central focus and means of justifying the end. Beautifully filmed, Coast is a film you will find just coasting through the motions.
Watch Coast
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