Festival Select: Over the Edge (1979, Jonathan Kaplan)

Join the Society and Recreation department of the North York Central Library in Rm. 101 for monthly screenings of fiction and non-fiction films that push the boundaries of the medium. This month's film is Jonathan Kaplan's Over the Edge (1979).

Synopsis (Arrow Video): Inspired by real-life incidents, Over The Edge is an incendiary ode to teen rebellion that quickly became a Gen X/punk-rock touchstone, and a key influence on filmmakers such as Richard Linklater and musicians like Kurt Cobain (who often cited it as his favourite film).

New Granada is a brand new 'planned community', miles from the noise and crime of the big city and a perfect place to raise a family. The only problem is they forgot to build anything for the kids to do. Bored out of their minds and stuck in the middle of nowhere, the teens in the town, led by Carl (Michael Kramer) and Richie (an effortlessly charismatic Matt Dillon in his first film role), do pretty much anything to fill the time, quickly escalating from drugs and sex to petty crime. A rash action by an overzealous local police officer (Harry Northup, Taxi Driver) sets in motion a face-off between the frustrated kids and their clueless parents that will lead to explosive, destructive consequences...

Armed with a classic '70s rock soundtrack (including Cheap Trick, Ramones and Van Halen), energetic direction by Jonathan Kaplan (White Line Fever) and an intelligent script by Tim Hunter (River's Edge) and Charlie Haas (Matinee), Over The Edge still packs a righteously powerful punch today.

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