Young Ones Clip Bids On Robots And Tension
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Various post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and otherwise bleak views of our collective future are a constant presence in the current cinema landscape. Just this year we’ve seen the likes of The Rover, Snowpiercer, Divergent, and The Maze Runner, among others, and that’s not even counting what’s still to come, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 and Christopher Nolan depicting a world in so devastated that humanity has to leave in order to survive in Interstellar. Writer/director Jake Paltrow’s upcoming Young Ones fits right into this mold, and there are robots, as you can see in this new clip.
The world of Young Ones bears a certain similarity to fellow post-apocalyptic joints like Mad Max, painting a picture of a sun bleached, near waterless frontier where survival is so difficult as to be damn near impossible. Still, Ernest Holm (Michael Shannon) does his best to thrive and raise a family, including his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and daughter Mary (Elle Fanning). Though it’s not easy as the likes of Flem Lever (Nicholas Hoult), Mary’s boyfriend, aiming to take over what little Ernest has.
You can see the tension between Ernest and Flem on full display in this clip from The Playlist, which takes place at a robot auction where the two bid against each other for what is essentially a robotic pack mule. It looks like one of those DARPA-designed guys. There is a quiet friction running just below the surface, and you can’t help but get the impression that maybe Flem drove the price up ever so slightly beyond what Ernest can afford, knowing the older man would do whatever it takes to win.
This clip provides a glimpse at one piece of the larger puzzle, but if you’re after a wider spectrum view, check out this full trailer for Young Ones below:
Young Ones premiered at Sundance back in January, where it got solid reviews—some singing its praises—and though Paltrow (brother of Gwyneth) has a solid background in television, helming episodes of shows like Boardwalk Empire and NYPD Blue, this marks only his second feature effort. The film looks like it has the potential to be something cool, maybe a more intimate take on a familiar set up. We’re used to seeing stoic loners who don’t say much as they travel the desolate wastes, but you don’t see family struggles portrayed in this environment all that often.
Young Ones opens in a limited release on October 17.
