Soundtrack to Sixteen

Firstly, the title: SOUNDTRACK To Sixteen: I kept trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean. It wasn't the dialogue or the music score -- as I really hoped. The only soundtrack that played through this film was of misanthropy and glumness.

The characters aren't engaging or well-formed. The nuance that defines winning films in this category just isn't here.

It takes way too long for the lead characters' paths to intersect and it doesn't feel feasible or natural. If it was a crowded situation in the same setting and they were thrust together, that would have been better than the concocted, forced encounter that appears.

Then the next half of the film plays before they connect.

What really plays out is all the bones of a SHORT FILM padded out to fill 93 minutes -- which turns out feeling much much longer.

Watching this at home in quarantine took almost three hours, because I kept getting distracted and the film didn't pull me in.

What I liked most about the film is that it wasn't a nostalgia-fest, as much coming of age genre seem to be. It was an honest reflection of the glorious highs and crushing lows that occur (sometimes daily) at that age. I enjoyed it a great deal. Good performances and a solid directorial debut from the London-based Shakespeare Sisters.

A real gem that doesn't conform to many of the boring trope of your typical teenage dramas. A beautifully touching insight into the pressures of school, friendship, and blossoming romance, from a truly refreshing perspective. I expect great things from this sister-duo in the future, who have clearly shown just a fraction of what they are capable of. Highly recommended.

Anyone who has been through the British secondary school system within the past 20 years will find this film uncomfortably familiar. Safe to say, everyone has their own uniquely puzzling and stressful adolescent years (which, as the film highlights, school environments can't help but exacerbate) and this certainly is the case for protagonists Maisy and Ben, whose difficulties feel all too real and relatable. For me, this has always been a time in my life which I would prefer not to revisit, yet Soundtrack to Sixteen took me straight back there with a vengeance, anxiety and all.

Far from being an existential horror fest however, the film is very good humoured and Maisy's and Ben's underlying sweetness brings a playfulness which compliments the film's quirkiness and depictions of teenage angst. On the whole, it is well balanced and paced without overstaying its (admittedly short) run time and never dissolves into pretentiousness.

Whilst budgeting restrictions are apparent (and I imagine its budget was smaller than comes across) the film plays to its strengths, thanks to some excellent direction and writing from Hillary and Anna Shakespeare along with a superb cast who bring the film together. Soundtrack to Sixteen won't change the way you see coming-of-age dramas but it will renew your faith in them.

I couldn't recommend this movie enough! It's truly a beautiful, genuine, funny and pure story. Some shots are genial and it will be clear the passion that both cast and crew have put into this project! A truly special movie! Do not miss it!