A spirited, well-crafted, and often spellbinding documentary tracing the adolescent experience from turn-of-the-century America, England, and Germany through to the end of the Second World War. Director Matt Wolf assembles a swiftly paced and always interesting blend of invaluable archival footage and convincing period recreations, and he recruits actors such as Jena Malone and Ben Whishaw to give a type of overarching voice to the spirit of Western youth in the early- to mid-20th century. The film's overall point is the relatively recent emergence of a third category separating children from adults and it implications in various fields, ranging from politics to popular culture. In turn, Wolf's arguments and visions are amusing, exciting, and haunting. The many grace notes include a vignette focused on Brenda Dean Paul, influential and morphine-abuse starlet-socialite of 1920s Britain, and a well-placed clip of Judy Garland sadly singing "In-Between" in Love Finds Andy Hardy. Honestly, I just wish it were a longer picture. It covers so much rich ground and clearly draws from a well as fascinating as it is vast. It is a shame it could nearly qualify as an ambitious short subject at around 75 minutes sans end credits.

B+