Adolescents - Thesis Film

     Adolescents is a short film observing the effect of an offscreen tragedy on the relationship between Deborah (Jessica G. Smith), and her son Alex (Miles G. Jackson) on two intersecting days seven years apart.

     The same actors are portraying each incarnation of their characters without the use of makeup to have them appear older or younger. This aesthetic choice allows the characters to visually embody their emotional age (as opposed to physical age), in this case representing a state of adolescence. 

     Combining a realist cinematographic style with a Brechtian dramaturgical presentation, Adolescents is a unique exploration of our formative years, our continuing adolescence. 

     The film was shot entirely on location in the towns of South Wales, Elma, and East Aurora, New York. The local paper, the East Aurora Advertiser, featured a story about the production, which be read here.

Credits:

Deborah - Jessica G. Smith
Alex - Miles G. Jackson
Assistant Director, Producer - Dorian Carli-Jones
Sound Recordist - Tom Flynn
Caterer, Producer - Leisa Buccieri
Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Producer, Editor - Tyler Byrnes

The film is current in post-production, and will be submitted to festivals starting this fall.