From Idea to Script to Sale
Coming of Age Films—Heathers
Last week’s Dead Poets Society took us into a bit of a more serious direction when it comes to the genre of coming of age films. And this week’s film takes us into a… creepier direction.
It’s important to note these differences in the genre because there are so many different directions a coming of age film might take. It doesn’t have to be a stereotypical “here’s what it feels like to grow up” kind of film, it can be something completely different.
So let’s take a look at a quite different film—Heathers [1989]—by Daniel Waters.
At first, it seems like just another high school film about the popular girls—all three of whom, co-incidentally, are named Heather—and Veronica, who hangs around them hoping to become a popular girl herself. But there’s a part of Veronica that sees through them and wants to teach them a lesson about how bitchy they are…and so when she starts dating the new hottie in school, he agrees with her and together they decide to play a prank on Heather. Take a look at a trailer that came out a few years back at the 30th anniversary of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiiZLsUqmQ8
How different is this film from Grease, the high school coming of age film made just 10 years earlier? It’s interesting to look at how Heathers surprises us with its tone. It’s irreverent, mean… yet, somehow, light-hearted. It’s a magician’s trick of a film.
The film has struck a chord with teens for the past 30+ years. It’s a cult classic. Probably always will be.
So what is it? What’s made this film so beloved?
I think a big part of it is the irreverence of it. I mean, everyone can relate to hating the popular kids—who ARE often awful to those not in their clique—and one can fantasize about killing them. But you don’t do it, right? Well, Heathers says… ‘what if you did?’ What if you, like Veronica, had that impulse to take down the full-of-themselves girls but you—accidentally, of course—did it? But what if you then realized that your new boyfriend made the accident happen…and that, maybe he’s a psycho. Yikes!
One of the things to remember about movies is that they’re escapism—they can be about things we would never in a million years do in real life but might quite enjoy to fantasize about doing. So seeing a film about that stuff we’ve harbored in our subconscious can be super cathartic and, therefore, super fun.
Heathers is the definition of a ‘dark’ coming of age film. It’s a dark comedy, not a light one. But it’s not totally over the top… just a little. So it becomes more relatable.
So as you think about writing your own coming of age film, remember that nothing is sacred, that you can go wild and violate norms and do all sorts of things that might actually add to the comedy or the angst or the drama… after all, it’s just a movie. So have fun with it!
Copyright © Diane Lake
22Aug21
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