Crushable

Topic: Terri

Interview: ‘Terri’ Director Azazel Jacobs and Creed Bratton on What It Means to Be an Outcast Today

Azazel Jacobs and Creed Bratton might seem like an odd duo to hold court on their new film Terri, but both men share the positon of being able to look back on the production from a distance: Jacobs as the director, of course, and Bratton as an experienced and prolific actor. Co-written by Jacobs, it’s the tale of an overweight teenage boy (Jacob Wysocki) who has the universal deck stacked against him: Taking care of his senile uncle (Bratton) makes him perpetually late for school, where he’s mocked for his size and quirks like wearing pajamas to class. It’s only after the outgoing vice principal Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly) reaches out to him through Monday check-ins and other adventures that Terri starts to appreciate his own value. More »

Recent Indie Movies Like ‘Terri’ and ‘Submarine’ Treat Teen Sex Realistically

When I was a junior in high school, I contemplated having sex with my boyfriend. Not because I was in love with him, but because I was 17, and 17 was the age in all the high-school movies that girls seemed to be sexually active. Thankfully, I didn’t follow through with it because I realized that movies did not equal real life and that I’d rather wait.

I thought of that adolescent whim, and the movies that inspired, while looking at recent movies that have portrayed teen sexuality a lot more realistically. What they all have in common is that they’re independent projects, so they don’t need to cram their trailers with nubile teenage girls to sell tickets. More »