Terry Zwigoff directs Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi and Scarlett Johansson in this indie teen comedy based on Daniel Clowes’ cult graphic novel.

Where the nerd things are. A summer of ignoring bad choices, not giving a fuck and the unexpected consequences. Thora Birch serves continual cunt in her best role. Her Goodwill salvaged looks just eat the screen up. Her Enid sums up that horrible space where your life is at a crossroads and it seems easier to just sit in-between four lanes of oncoming traffic than make a decision. It is the strongest written female teen protagonist role in cinema, or at least a photo finish between her and Reese Witherspoon’s equally iconic Tracy Flick. And the awkward, don’t go there, chemistry between her and Buscemi’s sad but constantly furious Seymour is a rubbernecking blast. You have no doubts as to why these two sometimes mean, casually irritable people might die alone… and age difference put to one awkward side, might be imperfect for each other. “He’s the exact opposite of everything I hate.” Many teenagers define themselves by their fandoms and tribes, but for Enid Coleslaw, it is her weaponised rejection of everything but the obscure and unloved that make her the loveable bitch she is. Zwigoff has a few very specific late 90s sub genres competing here – the aimless Gen X ‘Do nothing’ movie, the American Pie raunchy youth comedy and a weird anti modernity, anti ‘prescribed art’ counter culture death wail. He blends them really well… better than say Napoleon Dynamite that used Ghost World as a mood board but left the soul behind. The ambiguous ending is quite beautiful. All in – a misanthropic yet colourful teen gem that increases in value the more middle-aged it gets.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Bad Santa (2003)

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