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4.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Thrill of Youth remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a serious itch for pre-code melodrama that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. If you like your movies polished, stay far away. But if you’re like me and find something charming about sets that look like they were built with leftover cardboard and pure hope, you’ll survive.
The whole thing hinges on a classic setup: people who probably shouldn't be together end up in a cabin together. It’s the kind of premise that makes you roll your eyes, yet you keep watching just to see who breaks first. 🙄
The dialogue is… well, it’s definitely 1930s. Everyone talks like they are reading from a telegram they just received. There’s a scene early on where the town vamp tries to flirt with the big-game hunter, and it’s so stiff you could use it for a support beam. It’s not exactly high art, but there’s a weird, awkward energy there that kept me awake.
The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like they were trying to rush to lunch, and other times they just let the camera roll while people stand around looking confused. I suspect they were trying to mimic the intensity of films like The Heart of Jennifer, but they missed the mark by a mile.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Monkey Business, but with all the joy sucked out of it and replaced with mid-tier infidelity drama. Not that it’s bad, just... *silly*.
Watching this feels a bit like finding an old sweater in the back of a closet. It’s got a few holes, the color is faded, and you don’t really know why you’re keeping it. Yet, you don’t throw it out. You just wear it for an hour and then put it away again. 🧥
If you're looking for something deep or meaningful, look elsewhere. But if you want to watch people in fancy suits bicker in the woods while the production value hangs by a thread, you've found your match.