"Ten Thousand Saints," is an enjoyable coming of age film about complicated and dysfunctional families and characters in the late 1980's. The film, based on the novel by Eleanor Henderson, begins in rural Vermont where we meet two best-friend stoner teens from broken hippy families. One boy dies of a drug overdose, the other bolts for New York City where he moves in with his stoner father. A pregnant girl enters his life and his rage turns to confusion, and then eases as he begins to grow-up. The film is mostly set in New York's East Village, with hard-core and straight-edge music giving the story contrasting anti-establishment and clean living structures, as well as a rough edge and soft core. The narrative culminates at the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riots, which becomes an explosive coming of age moment for the young couple, as well as the city. All the characters are deeply flawed but likeable, and the New York period setting (complete with CBGB's) drips with authenticity. It was a fun time to be growing up, but also a dangerous time. This low budget independent film captures that dynamic well. The first 20 minutes start out slow, but if you lived through that period and don't mind course language and a background of 1980's drug culture, it's well worth two hours of screen time.
Review of Ten Thousand Saints
