The documentary Teenage, about the history of the concept of teenagers, will open in theaters on March 14th, 2014. Above, an exclusive clip from the movie about Frank Sinatra bobby soxers.
Teenagers didn’t always exist. They had to be invented. As the cultural landscape around the world was thrown into turmoil during the industrial revolution, and with a chasm erupting between adults and youth, the concept of a new generation took shape. Whether in America, England, or Germany, whether
party-crazed Flappers or hip Swing Kids, zealous Nazi Youth or frenzied Sub-Debs, it didn’t matter – this
was a new idea of youth. They were all “Teenagers.”A hypnotic rumination on the genesis of youth culture from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th, Matt Wolf’s Teenage is a living collage of rare archival material, filmed portraits, and diary
entries read by Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, and others. Inspired by Jon Savage’s book and set to a
shimmering contemporary score by Bradford Cox (Deerhunter / Atlas Sound), Teenage is a
mesmerizing trip into the past and a riveting look at the very idea of “coming-of-age.”