“My Teenage Blackout,” a short film that delves into teenage life. The film discusses a major challenge and the difficulties of a teenage boy in a coma, wrapped in a lighthearted, imaginative film about hope. The animation is a beautiful spread of watercolors.
My Teenage Blackout
Basile Khatir is the writer and director of the French film. Flore Montmory animates it. The articulated teenage voice is played by Raphael Bigaud. The film was a part of the Inner Landscapes ‘Gowana’ film program in the 7th edition of the Medfest Film Festival.
The film starts at a party, following Tristan, our protagonist, who narrates how he originally fell into a coma. Together with his narration, the animation illustrates the scene when he swallowed a caterpillar with an alcoholic shot to show off to his crush, which led him into a coma ever since.
The Coma
The film follows Tristan’s thoughts during his coma, which he shares with the viewers. We see his imagination running wild through various animated scenes illustrating his narration. The animation contains many scenes in nature, in forests and deserts. The film switches between the hospital room Tristan is staying in, the people visiting him, and transporting us inside his head and imagination.
Inner Landscapes program
As the film was a part of the program Inner Landscapes, which discussed our inner thoughts, dreams, and fears. The film encapsulates the program quite literally. As we take a look, or more of a tour around Tristan’s head, with Tristan’s thoughts beautifully illustrated through drawings and animation.
There is also a sad reality to the film that comes when Tristan stays in his coma for many years till his friends and family grow up. The progression in time takes us by surprise. When we see Tristan’s best friend come to visit him as an adult, along with his baby, talking about taxes, schools, and paying rent. Tristan even comments that his best friend doesn’t mention his crush to him at all, and he’s confused why.
Hope
Throughout the film, we see the caterpillar Tristan swallowed walking around in his stomach, hibernating till it breaks out into a beautiful butterfly. I believe that the life cycle of the caterpillar symbolizes hope. As it was able to survive in a human’s stomach till it bloomed. At the end, we see the butterfly fluttering around in Tristan’s head, symbolizing that even though he can’t talk or walk, his brain is still beautifully active.
Tristan never gives up, even though he has been stuck in a coma for many years. At times, we even see that he thinks he has the power to move things, telekinesis, but he fails every time to move something with his mind.
The script and illustrations convey teenagers’ minds really well, how they talk and live. The film discusses an important issue that many people face, without forgetting to add lightness to the story.
A Cautinary Tale
Moreover, it’s a cautionary tale about how young people can make one simple, stupid decision that may lead to many consequences. As many teenagers sometimes care more about what people think than their own selves, lives, and ultimately, health. We see this in the way Tristan thinks and acts. Although he’s still too young to go to parties and drink alcohol, he still does anyway.
“My Teenage Blackout,” a short film that delves into teenage life in a simple, humorous, and light-hearted way. This captures many feelings and experiences that teenagers go through. Simple things like thinking a lot about their crushes, friends, believing their moms are dramatic, and having a vast imagination.