May 2021
The Coming of Age Fix From Fix
A review of some of the finest, and most diverse coming of age films from across the years. — McCartney Fix, Co-News Editor
“The Graduate” Dir. Mike Nicols
Photo sourced from Alternate Movie Posters
A gorgeous alterante poster depicting the loss of innocence that acts as the Graduates central theme.
Feature 10
The sense of unease that comes with growing old may be the most commonly addressed themes in coming of age cinem. However it lacks complexity often due to the caveat that by the films conclusion, the major questions of the day will be answered, and certainty will be found. With its now iconic final frame, Mike Nichols’ “The Graduate” dispels that notion. Benjamin finds no refuge in his love and no solidarity in a life sure to be spent with a woman he has convinced himself he loves. There is no refuge in Elaine, only an evermore unanswerable set of questions now posed to this young, uncertain and utterly directionless boy. The answers of which sit plainly in his expression. Like a summer field giving way to the barren husk of a winter oak, individual frames show a stark contrast in expressions, but played out over a single shot the realization settles in at a poignant pace. These final few seconds are as iconic as anything ever put to film, but it certainly helps that they are preceded by a truly immaculate viewing experience. “The Graduate” is at once of its time, and timeless, forever communicating the wistful weightlessness and lack of direction early 20-somethings are bound to feel. Dustin Hoffman plays this very clearly out of his depth young man transitioning into a point in his life he can not feasibly convince himself he is prepared for. His every action, like a bag in the wind, feels less motivated and more propelled. He clearly has so little impact on the daily rat race he runs. To his credit, Nicols makes quite clear that Ben is all the better for his lack of true input, because whenever he swings for the fences and attempts to make a righteous stand, he fails or succeeds and seems all the more miserable for it. Anne Bancroft plays Mrs. Robinson so incredibly well, imbuing her with a mature, yet slightly predatory sexuality that oozes from her character. All this is tied together with one of the strongest soundtracks ever composed for a film, Simon and Garfunkel anchor the incredibly folkish soundtrack with a whimsy that fits the film as a whole. Some may say they do not make films like this anymore, but I would argue they never made them like this before. “The Graduate” is as singular as it is sensational, and as truly seductive to audiences as the pulled up pantyhose of Mrs. Robinson herself.
