Taking place in Palo Alto in the fall of 1985, Gabrielle Demeestere's Yosemite is a story of adolescence, chronicling the lives of three 5th graders in Chris, Joe, and Ted, each of which is dealing with their own issues of self-discovery. Subtle, low-key, and observant, Yosemite is a film which effectively captures the adrift feeling of youth, where the world feels so big and the desire to understand it is hopelessly out of reach. Told entirely from the perspective of these three fifth grade boys, Yosemite is a film that works best at evoking the sense of curiosity, frustration, innocence, and confusion of these characters, two of which are dealing with issues of neglect. The film exhibits adult issues through the lens of youth, evoking the sense of confusion and lack of understanding young children often have when faced with adult problems like death or personal responsibility. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Yosemite is how it subtlely speaks to the importance of guidance for youth, with paternal neglect being a connecting theme between these three young boys, each of which is attempting to define the world around them mostly by themselves. The atmosphere Yosemite is able to create is probably it's greatest attribute, with observant cinematography that creates a lyrical form of intimacy around adolescence, evoking the curiosity and innocence of this time period in these character's lives. Some may find Yosemite too low key for its own good at times, touching on these three boys internal struggles but never fully developing them, being far more interested in creating an atmosphere that evokes this sense of drifting in a world these children can only attempt to grasp. Personally I found this aspect to be the most resonant, with the biggest issue with Yosemite for me being that it never seems to fully embrace these meditative qualities, at times forcefully injecting its narrative with unnecessary conflict which feels completely out of place when considering the films overall low-key, atmospheric qualities. I'd argue that Yosemite's vagueness is one of it's best qualities, mirroring the insecurities and confusion of its young main protagonists. Touching on issues of neglect, death, and self discovery completely from the perspective of its three 5th grade characters, Yosemite works best as tone poem of adolescence, while only struggling when it gets too wrapped up in narrative plot points.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|