“A poignant psychological character study about the volatility of youth”

At some point in our adolescence or early adulthood, everyone likely has a moment where they simply wish to run away, retreating from reality and embracing an entirely new way of life. Whether this is because of a difficult domestic situation or the feeling that these formative years would be more appropriately spent away from any reminder of the past is up to individual interpretation – and in the case of the protagonist of Destroy All Girls, a combination is also very much possible. Written and directed by Erin Vassilopoulos (who is following up her debut Superior from a few years ago), the film follows Alex, a young woman who lives with her family in New Jersey, although she’d probably say “surviving” is a more appropriate term. The only reason she has not fled from the presence of her overbearing mother and milquetoast stepfather is that she is the primary caretaker for her older brother, who was left unable to walk after a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident in which Alex managed to avoid injury, but her brother had his entire life changed. On an impulse, she runs away from home after meeting a group of enigmatic young skaters who immediately pique her curiosity, and she accompanies them on a wild journey around New York City, fuelled by an array of drugs, alcohol and the spirit of rebellion, all the while Alex concealing certain aspects of her past in the hopes of not alienating her new companions. A terrific sophomore effort from a director who seems destined to leave an impression on an industry that benefits from such unique perspectives, Destroy All Girls is an enthralling character study defined by a poignant story and a strong execution that allows it to challenge and provoke without stepping too far out of the realm of realism.

The foundation of Destroy All Girls is a coming-of-age story about a young woman who is pushed to abscond from her life after the combination of growing tired of the pressure she had in her domestic life (particularly as she is evidently the less-favoured child, to the point of being emotionally neglected by her parents) as well as the allure of a group of boys who seem to represent everything she wishes to be – carefree, joyful and never against taking a risk, since the stories that can be told would be more than worth the bruises, both physical and psychological. There’s a quiet complexity to how the director explores the day-to-day routine of people who are perhaps best described as professional slackers, people who live the kind of laissez-faire existence that those of us too afraid to embrace the unknown could never fathom, even if we do dream of feeling the kind of relentless freedom on display here. However, despite being about the joys of liberating yourself from the status quo, this film is quite a sombre affair at times, since in between the montages of unhinged happiness and profound companionship, there’s a lingering sense of sadness as we see the character of Alex question every choice she has made in life. Identity is a vital component of this genre, and while it does touch on a few of the more obvious thematic elements such as queerness, addiction and domestic troubles, it presents them in a way that is insightful and very moving, while also avoiding aiming for the same conventional beats that usually tend to accompany these stories much of the time. It’s a poetic exploration of the challenges faced by a girl who is on the run from both her previous life and (perhaps more notably) herself, since she begins to wonder whether she is actually leading the life she deserves, or if another path, one that may be less exciting but more secure, is more feasible to her journey to becoming the person she is supposed to be.

As far as the coming-of-age genre goes, Destroy All Girls is thematically quite conventional, which seems to be entirely by design. This is not the kind of film that benefits from conceptual innovation, and instead thrives through the approach taken to bring some of these more interesting ideas to life on screen. Part of what makes the film so memorable is the style, with Vassilopoulos evoking the brilliant social realist dramas of the 1970s made by the influential filmmakers working under the New Hollywood movement who set out to capture a version of New York City – a town of countless intersecting stories where the chaos becomes beautiful in its own way – that was more frantic, energetic and soulful. There’s a true grit to this film that is exceptionally compelling,  with a constant sense of naturalism reflected in the frequent feeling of spontaneity of a city inhabited by millions of individual stories. The film’s structure is built around vignettes in the daily life of the young protagonist as she ponders her journey, attempting to come to some understanding of what it is to be alive, while also gradually questioning the path she has chosen. The director is very careful, since there’s a tendency for these films to become preoccupied with the aesthetic of the past, rather than infusing it with the necessary gravitas. The film has an almost documentary-style quality to it, with the use of handheld cameras, as well as the switching between different formats such as digital video and analogue media, giving Destroy All Girls a vibrant and vaguely nostalgic atmosphere. This contributes directly to the tone, which is one built from curiosity and the embrace of the unpredictable. The roughness of these urban spaces provides the film with a unique rhythm, and allows the director to make a few more bold choices with the material, particularly in how many parts of the film are mostly quite plotless. They follow the meandering misadventures of this motley crew of young rebels, the freewheeling, loose nature of the narrative being complemented by the stylistic and tonal qualities that gives this otherwise carefree film a sense of cohesion.

Destroy All Girls is a tremendously engaging work, since it feels like the arrival of an immensely exciting new voice in contemporary cinema, and one that is going to leave an impression based not only on her sincere approach to her artistry, but also her ability to capture a very specific side of the human condition. The film seems simple on the surface but has a complexity that grows as we follow the characters in their daily adventures, which start as mindless attempts to just lead an easy life, but which grow more complicated as the story progresses and we see the sadness lurking beneath the surface of every one of these people, who are all running away from something. It’s a film that is deliberately unpolished and constructed from fragments of ideas, each one contributing something fascinating to the story of a young woman who realises she cannot constantly run away from the past, especially when she is struggling to actually define herself. The central thesis statement of the film is about the impossibility of escaping who you were when you are entirely unaware of who you want to be, which is a simple, concise way to describe how Vassilopoulos puts this film together. Stylistically, it’s very striking (and also has one of the strongest soundtracks of the year, the director pulling deep cuts from a range of musical genres that contribute to the creative mosaic that surrounds this film), and has some very impressive performances, particularly from Ani Mesa-Perez as Alex, who seems poised to have her breakthrough if both of her collaborations with the director are anything to go by. As a whole, Destroy All Girls is a poignant psychological character study about the volatility of youth and the temptation that comes with trying to run away from an uncomfortable situation, not realising that the path forward is not always physical, but something far more internal, which is the narrative and emotional anchor for this enthralling and meaningful deconstruction of youth.