I dislike teenagers. Most of them seem to be carrying knives. All of them want to rebel, but most of them are not sure what against. A lot have problems controlling the volume of their voice. Many have acne problems. I miss nothing about this awkward and ignorant time of my life. At least that is what I usually think, but I thought the opposite while watching 'Sounds Like Teen Spirit', I actually missed being a teenager, and even if that feeling ceased with the end credits, it was an incredible achievement from debut director Jamie Jay Johnson.
'Sounds Like Teen Spirit' is a documentary that follows a handful of contestants in the lead-up of a teen Eurovision, and into its aftermath. Johnson interviewed several contestants before picking the subjects of his film, and it really feels that he either has tremendous luck or a talent for spotting character. And no doubt the honesty of the children on camera (in particular the Bulgarian girl talking about her father) was drawn by a professional and honest approach by Johnson in his direction. You never feel that Johnson is talking down to his subjects as some other documentary filmmakers are guilty of (see: Michael Moore).
The film suffers from some odd choices made by Johnson and his editor in putting the film together. It begins with a short history of Europe, pointing out that nations that were killing each other in global wars sixty years ago now compete in song and developing international friendships as children. A nice point. Footage from war is suddenly included again halfway through the film, making the same point again. Another oddity is the choice of opera music for a montage of the singers doing their thing, true one is an opera singer, but I am not sure if the soundtrack choice complements the images.
