Review of Dazed and Confused (1993) by Adam K — 10 Feb 2014

If you've seen Freaks and Geeks, Dazed and Confused is pretty much the same idea. It's set 20 years earlier, and it goes full bore into hazing, violence, drugs, alcohol, and sex, issues that Freaks and Geeks tended to handle with a lighter touch. It has a comparably extensive cast, largely divided into the same castes, but without the opportunity to see characters evolve over time, the focus shifts to the vibe and intrigue, both of which are wonderfully done.

I realized during the film that I really appreciate this setting. The High School bildungsroman has all the factionalism, revenge motives, coming of age foibles, awkward sexual stuff, overwhelming sense of self-importance, even having to deal with the burden of high social expectations, of the sci-fi and fantasy hero's journeys teens identify with so well. But since the action takes place within a social microcosm, the hero has no world to save, and all of the enemies and intrigue protags invest so much in immediately become irrelevant after graduation. The genre has a built-in critique of the self-absorbed fantasies of youth, while genre fiction tends to be based on indulging that sensation. Plus, it's a lot easier to justify having the protagonists do stupid things when they're dumb, drunk teens than when they're questing knights. I might seek out more fiction in this setting.