Frustratingly Disappointing.

DexIMF

A self-conscious cartoonish movie that knows its reason and purpose for being cartoonish isn't as frustrating watch as a movie that has strong ideas going for it, but completely goes off the rails, and still maintains the smugness of being serious and better. This film is the latter. A poorly thought-out screenplay which is never sure about its characters and doesn't ever develop a point. These characters couldn't have been more under-developed, and amateur performance by leads doesn't help either. The visual style comes up without serving a purpose, and is distracting and shallow. The problem here is the writer and the director's manipulation. They artificially set situation for our "adventurous" teenage leads to angrily leave their homes, looking for an escape into nature. They treat these characters as derivatives of Christopher McCandless. How insulting for that great man! Before you even notice, this faux-self-discovery film turns into a teenage romantic melodrama that puts even the most idiotic rom-coms of Bollywood to shame. The film is under a delusion that it has earned its seriousness, that its characters have been on a self-discovering journey, profoundly changing their lives or perspectives. Nope. That isn't the case.

P.S. An extra half star for using a "Youth Lagoon" song for end-credits. That guy deserves more recognition, but in better films.

score 4/10

DexIMF 14 October 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2887157/