My Summer as a Goth

My Summer as a Goth is a distinct coming-of-age story that shatters stereotypes, offering a fresh perspective on the trials of adolescence, heavy on black eyeshadow and a spooky wardrobe. The film, released in 2018, stars Rachelle Henry, Neil Green, and Mike Vaughn.

Directed by Tara Johnson-Medinger, the film focuses on the life of 16-year-old Joey Javitts, brilliantly portrayed by Rachelle Henry, who is a bright-eyed teenager navigating the difficult landscape of a complicated family tragedy, teenage angst, and getting to know oneself.

In the movie, Joey’s world is flipped upside down when a sudden loss in her family sends her to live with her off-beat, vegan hippie grandparents (played by Fayra Teeters and Jonas Israel) in Portland, Oregon for the summer. Far from her regular suburban life and the company of her single dad, she is suddenly thrust into a world she’s never experienced and even further from her familiar New York surroundings.

Enter Victor, the mysterious, enigmatic "Goth" neighbor, played expertly by Neil Green, who pulls Joey into his alluring, melodramatic life filled with the melancholy atmosphere of the Goth culture. The contrast is stark: Joey's cheery, colorful previous life spirals into a dark, all-black world of Victorian-Goth aesthetic, steered by Victor's eccentric, introspective personality and the haunting pull of Goth subculture.

Mike Vaughn plays a significant role as the mother figure in Joey’s life, kicking off the transformational ride that Joey embarks on. Her character provides a balance for Joey, guiding her through different horizons of life while reassuring her about the natural fluctuations of teenage existence.

However, it's not all dim lights and sorrowful poetry. My Summer as a Goth, while brooding, also has its own charm and warmth. It appropriately captures the confusion and inventiveness of adolescence, the search for identity, the exploration of new dimensions, passions, and the sway of a heady first crush. With her summer in Portland, Joey experiences an extraordinary transformation that shifts her perspective on life, family, friendship, and love.

The film subtly delves into the misconception around the Gothic subculture, revealing it as more than just an obsession with darkness but a form of personal expression. It beautifully explores the paradox of finding light in dark places and echoes the idea that change could lead to growth.

The movie brilliantly interweaves elements of humor, youthful impulsiveness, emotional depth, with the enigmatic undertone of rebellious counter-culture, all set against the lush, green backdrop of Portland. It offers an authentic portrayal of the trials and tribulations of adolescence that transcends beyond the Goth subtext to touch on real, relatable feelings of displacement, self-discovery, and the whirlwind of first love. Themes of acceptance and self-expression underpin the narrative, proving that every subculture serves as a haven, an identity, and a sanctuary for those who feel misunderstood.

My Summer as a Goth is a unique, thoughtful movie that lends depth and understanding to a subculture too often painted with broad, stereotypical strokes in pop culture. It's a memorable exploration of adolescence, filled with all the confusion, nostalgia, heartbreak, and joy that come with this universally resonant time of everyone's life.

And for all its ethereal melancholy, My Summer as a Goth still sparks with life, teen spirit, and the quintessential understanding that sometimes, in order to rediscover who you are, you must first lose yourself. One cannot help but walk away from the film with a mental collection of chunky goth boots, swathes of black lace, and beautifully lined eyes, married with an appreciation for this lavish, misunderstood subculture.

In a landscape of cookie-cutter coming of age films, My Summer as a Goth manages to stand out, the story resonating for anyone who has ever been a teenager, been in love, or dared to be different. It invites its audience to revel in the trials of teenage life, and in the end, it leaves a beautiful lesson in finding beauty in the gloomy, hope in the strange, and self-discovery at every poignant, unexpected turn.