“Everyone is pulling me in different directions”, comments Kevin Conway towards the end of ONLY THE YOUNG. The two adolescents from Santa Clarita, California begin this intimate documentary by showing us around an abandoned cabin they have appropriated nearby. Whilst away from their parents, they talk of skateboarding, friendship, and youthful romance. The plot primarily concerns Garrison’s fluctuating love affair with the female lead, Skye Elmore, and a drifting-apart between the two young men as Kevin’s graduation approaches. Other family troubles infringe upon the trio, particularly Skye, who lives in financial insecurity without her absent parents.

Any storyline, however, is less important than candid depiction of the experience of people on the cusp of maturity, expertly achieved by directors Elizabeth Mims and Jason Tippet through confidential revelations and a poetic camera style. Though awkward to begin with, our stars quickly become more comfortable with the viewer as fly-on-the-wall, and allow access to very personal moments. At first, these infringements on privacy from various angles lead to questions about whether the performances are genuine. One success of the picture is that such worries become academic as the atmosphere works its spell.

“Everyone is pulling me in different directions”.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect is the cinematography, as spectacular slow-motion shots abound: figures launch themselves into a swimming pool in the dark, skateboard in unlikely locations, and use a shopping trolley and disused flume ride for tentative trysts. A varied soundtrack featuring 1960s’ R&B perfectly compliments these visual indulgences.

Thematically, without ever forcing its hand, the documentary hints at economic decline in suburban USA, and highlights religion in the teenage years. The fading glamour of the shadows of the Magic Mountain theme park is made clear in oft-neglected locations, while Christianity is a nebulous background character: personal relationships are shadowed by the expectation of a primary love for ‘the word’.

ONLY THE YOUNG is also often funny, though it never laughs at its occasionally naïve principle figures – Skye in particular is in command of a sardonic humour. The adults who infringe on the protagonists’ lives, such as a mentor who encourages protégés to ‘skate for Jesus’, are often more snicker-inducing. Comedic treatment of less vital figures only serves to draw us closer to our heroes.

The film’s justifiable confidence in its qualities is seen in the 72 minute running time – it is a work that never outstays its welcome. It is refreshing to see less physically stereotypical central figures, as the gangly teenagers obtain grace through their honesty, alongside more straightforward skateboarding skills.

Early on, Garrison says that ‘children are the Gods of this city’ (to which Kevin responds ‘yeah, but there’s still nothing to do’). The two young men do not seem like children for very long. When asked about his plans following his big ceremony, Kevin replies: ‘After graduation? Like today? I don’t know what we’re doing yet…’.