Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Writer: Robert Pulchini, Shari Springer Berman (Screenplay) Eleanor Henderson (Novel)
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Emile Hirsch
Plot: Set in the 1980s, a teenager from Vermont moves to New York City to live with his father in East Village.
Tagline – Rage. Riot. Rebirth.
Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Ten Thousand Saints starts as we meet a couple of stoners Jude (Butterfield) and Teddy (Jogia) living in Vermont, spending their time just looking for their next high all the time, they get visited by a family friend in Eliza (Steinfeld), which sees the party get out of control, with Teddy passing away.
Jude’s drug dealing father Les (Hawke) returns to his life to take him to New York City to starts fresh, where he meets Teddy’s brother Johnny (Hirsch) who ends up teaching both Jude and Eliza about taking things more seriously after his own problems with drugs in the past.
Thoughts on Ten Thousand Saints
Final Thoughts – Ten Thousand Saints follows an adopted young teenager that sees his life turned upside down when his best friend dies in a night of drink and drugs, which will see his estranged drug dealing father return to his life to offer him a new start, getting caught up in the middle of discovering who he is and learning how to get through an unexpected pregnancy. This story does go in a strange direction, seemingly trying to become more about the pregnancy storyline, over the self-discovery one that is being pushed for from the Jude character. The performances in the film are strong with Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld are always going to work well in these aged roles. The supporting cast work well too, with Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch, Emily Mortimer and Julianne Nicholson. The movie does seem to focus more on trying to warn about teenage pregnancy and advertise the adoption can help a baby have a strong start in life.
