Cathedral Avenue

Hats off to Andrea Arnold, Katie Jarvis, Rebecca Griffiths, and Michael Fassbender in particular.  Great directing and performances are here to be had.

However, what I find most interesting is how there can actually be a teen angst movie that avoids cliches with such agility.  Spoilers below.  These are the things I noted:

• It was unclear to me whether Mia and Connor would consummate their attraction until the moment it happened. An amateur filmmaker would have telegraphed this.
• A timid filmmaker would have written the character of Connor to be a miscreant, not an amiable guy who is deeply flawed (recalling Almodovar, IMO).
• A lesser filmmaker would have had Mia dance at the audition, perhaps for a cheap laugh.
• All the same, it took guts to break apart from the gritty realism and allow Mia, Joanne, and Tyler to all dance together towards the end.

Fantastic.  See this movie!