'It deconstructs cliques, party scenes, and devirginations,
while also serving as an irresistible guide to the best (and worst-best) teen movies ever'
New York Magazine
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The greatest trick the teen movie ever pulled was convincing the world it wasn't worth a second look. A genre more than fifty years in the making, teen cinema has grown from a lowly sideshow to a staple of the Hollywood landscape, yet it remains a curiously unexamined phenomenon.
Written and directed by award-winning film critic Charlie Lyne ('perky and respected' - The Times), narrated by cult teen star Fairuza Balk (The Craft, Almost Famous), and featuring an original score by acclaimed pop duo Summer Camp ('dreamy, lighthearted, synth-thick pop that lands with a punch' - NYT), Beyond Clueless is a dizzying journey into the mind, body and soul of the teen movie, as seen through the eyes of over 200 modern teen classics.
Diving headfirst into the inner psyche of the teen genre, the film finds itself within a parallel universe - one occupied by an entire generation of big-screen teens we've loved and loathed in equal measure. Part adolescent fever dream, part roving visual essay, Beyond Clueless puts the movies themselves under the microscope on a quest to lay bare the genre's beating heart.
Forgotten classics are unearthed, old favorites are upturned to reveal new meanings, and questions are asked about what's really going on behind the raucous house parties, glittering prom nights and joyous graduations that make up this most beguiling of cinematic worlds.
Is The Craft the ultimate teenage survival guide? Can the little-seen Devon Sawa vehicle Idle Hands shine a light on the horrors of pubescence? And what's really going on beneath the skin of EuroTrip? All will be revealed as Beyond Clueless leads viewers through Hollywood's treacherous teen years and out the other side.
Beyond Clueless was fully-funded by more than 500 Kickstarter backers in January 2013. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2014.
Charlie Lyne (writer/director/editor)
Charlie is the editor of cult British movie blog Ultra Culture, and a columnist for The Guardian. At 20, he became the youngest person voted into the London Film Critics' Circle in its 100-year history, while his short film Death/Hitchcock was commended by Roger Ebert.
Beyond Clueless is his first feature.
Fairuza Balk (narrator)
Fairuza is the star of more than 40 films, including stone-cold teen classics like The Craft and Almost Famous. Since landing the lead role in Walter Murch's Return to Oz aged just ten years old, she has worked with directors including John Frankenheimer, Tony Kaye and Werner Herzog.
Summer Camp (composers)
Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley formed pop duo Summer Camp in October 2009. Since then, they've been dubbed 'the future of 21st Century alt.pop' by the NME, released two critically acclaimed albums and toured around the world.
Anthony Ing (producer)
Anthony writes and records electronic music under the name Hometape. He recently released The Redtube Album, a concept album constructed from hundreds of samples lifted from adult video clips. In 2011, he wrote and starred in Darrenation, which was featured in the Short Film Corner at Cannes.
Billy Boyd Cape (producer)
Billy directs music videos for the likes of Mr. Hudson and Jakwob, and in 2012 was featured in the main competition of the BFI Future Film Festival with his short film Dr. Kaufalio. His latest music video, for Jakwob's Fade, has already surpassed 2 million hits on YouTube.
Catherine Bray (co-producer)
Catherine is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. She is currently Editorial Director for Film4 and a regular guest presenter on BBC One's flagship film programme Film 2014. In 2013, she wrote two plays which were produced in London and Bath.
Hattie Stewart (title designer)
Hattie is a self-proclaimed 'professional doodler' whose work with designers including House Of Holland, Marc By Marc Jacobs and Adidas has transformed her into one of the fashion world's most in-demand illustrators. She has had work exhibited around the world, and is currently a staff illustrator for Rookie Magazine.
