In My Friends, writer-director Nate Simon taps into the timeless themes of excess and wasted youth, doing for Gen Z what Bret Easton Ellis did for Gen X. The story follows three friends who, while awaitng the next semester of college begins, spend their summer break smoking, drinking, and suppressing what they are each individually struggling with.
Rachel (Nellie Lonergan) is dealing with body dysmorphia and self-harm. River (River Magee), who recently attempted suicide after a breakup, can’t shake stalking his ex’s new romance via Venmo transactions, and Paul (Nate Simon) is navigating his sexuality as he strings along Bill (Caden Cox). At the same time, Paul’s cousin Zack (Zach Schnitzer) is visiting from out of town and quickly realizes that Paul isn’t honest about his friends, his conquests, or his exciting New York City lifestyle. It may take all summer for these three friends to open up to one another. In other words, to be real friends.
My Friends is like watching a novel. It’s a low-stakes dramedy, where not much happens, but the acting and realism captured in the film hold your attention, striking a chord with everyone who’s felt directionless and unsatisfied with life. The time before you turn 21 can feel like purgatory. You’re not a fully realized adult with full access to the world. You want the rest of your life to start, but you also don’t know your place in it.
Where a show like Euphoria puts forth the highly exaggerated reality, My Friends more honestly spotlights the social media burned out generation. It also harkens back to films of the 1980s where parents are off-screen, and the teens are seemingly left to deal with whatever crisis is going on by themselves.
“…cousin Zack is visiting from out of town and quickly realizes that Paul isn’t honest…”
My Friends is a good example to aspiring filmmakers looking to write “great dialogue”. This is no David Mamet screenplay, but it does sound like college kids talking the way college kids talk. Don’t look for a profound speech. Just write your characters truthfully. Nate Simon succeeds in that way.
Nate also provides quirks for each of our main characters. Yes, you can feel the New York City upper-class link between Rachel, River, and Paul, but they each have a relatability, almost representing different emotional moods. For those who may not connect with our central characters, the introduction of Paul’s cousin Zack into the group gives an outsider representation to those who may roll their eyes at these New Yorkers.
The film deals with body image, heartbreak, addiction, sexual insecurity, and the ignorance of youth. It doesn’t have the fun of a Dazed and Confused or a typical “hang-out” film, but it does hold your attention. You can’t help but connect with these characters, even if, at times, you want to bang on the screen shouting “NO!” like Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar.
While there is much left to be desired of the ending, the final moments of the film speak to the anxiety ridden society that is too overwhelmed to make real change and would much rather continue self-medicating and keep the party going for one more night. Nate Simon has crafted a film that makes you want to shake these characters and tell them it’s going to be ok. With everything at their fingertips, they miss out on the world in front of their own eyes.
"…doing for Gen Z what Bret Easton Ellis did for Gen X."
