HIDDEN TREASURES - ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU, BULLY, TRUST

Another Sunday, another Hidden Treasures post on Screen on Screen. This week, three films focusing on teenage life, each in its own singular manner, and each to similar effect from different methods.

ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (2001) - SHUNJI IWAI

Its early-noughties techno-geekery, the chatrooms and the portable CD players, that we can overlook. That doesn't last anyway, and its datedness will soon become nostalgia. What prevails from All About Lily Chou-Chou's early scenes is a deft analysis of the ennui of adolescence, one which is not blamed on anyone or anything in particular, an unusual move for Japanese film, indeed international teenage-centric film, and one which makes All About Lily Chou-Chou a stronger, sadder film. These teens find solace in music, at least some of them do - others fall victim to the melodramas of life for pubescent schoolchildren, and Shunji Iwai's probing yet delicate touch in examining the suffering of such people, and giving it both a credence that is seldom bestowed upon this subject in cinema, and a light, sweet tone, is masterful. It's a thoroughly Japanese affair - even the Debussy so liberally used on the soundtrack is played with a strictness that is quintessentially Japanese and quintessentially un-French - but while its texture may be regional, its messages are global. A film about teenage life that will speak to anyone of any age, and that is All About Lily Chou-Chou's greatest accomplishment.

After the cut, two films about life for American teenagers in the 21st Century, both severely undervalued by critics.

BULLY (2001) - LARRY CLARK

Larry Clark's reputation as mere kiddie-porn provocateur is an easy one to perpetuate, which, in my opinion, makes those who do perpetuate it lazy theorists. For emotional insight and directorial expertise, look no further than Bully, a film which was poorly received upon release in 2001; as is often the case, critics didn't know whether they wanted Kids-Clark back, or Another Day in Paradise experimental Clark back, and took their frustrations out on him. You just know the bully at the centre of this film isn't going to be just another bad boy bully - he's going to have his own issues, but that's not trite, that's true. Only sociopaths bully for no reason, and Clark doesn't make films about sociopaths, he makes films about a certain generation, a certain type of young adult, real people in the real world. Maybe I'm simply a part of his niche audience, but I believe that the precision with which he captures the lives and the thoughts and feelings of these teenagers is sharper than that of any other filmmaker, and its combination with chilling thriller in Bully, all acted with riveting realism from an outstanding ensemble (including career-bests from Brad Renfro and Michael Pitt) makes for an unexpectedly unnerving experience. Clark may be far from a faultless filmmaker, but he's certainly one with a very clear point of view.

TRUST (2010) - DAVID SCHWIMMER

Annie is 14. She's a real 14-year-old. She's not wildly off-the-rails. She's not a goody-two-shoes. She's the kind of 14-year-old Hollywood doesn't like to depict, because it can't bother figuring out what kind of a girl she's 'supposed' to be. And that's precisely whom she is too: a girl who doesn't know whom she is. She has the confidence to speak to a handsome, charming boy online, but it's a confidence she's learned to project, not a boldness of character. She meets 'Charlie', and it turns out he hasn't been telling the truth, but she already knew that, kind of. Every move this man has made has been expertly thought-out to so neatly swerve all potential obstacles, to the point where it could almost be argued that Annie consents to what happens next. At least, that's what I think she's arguing with herself. And that's part of what makes it so difficult for her. Who to blame but herself for being such a fool? For never just saying no? For having that stupid confidence, that confidence that has now been purged? For being 14? Liana Liberato navigates a massive range of huge psychological shifts in her character with a perceptible feel for what defines Annie at her core, and a directness that provides Trust with the emotional gut-punch it requires, and she is superbly supported by a high-profile cast on top form. As cautionary tales go, this one is much smarter than average, and handled with surety by director David Schwimmer.