Written and directed by Matthew Lupis, with the backdrop of the Berlin Wall being torn down and the Cold War coming to an end, the senior students – and even teachers – at Romano High are obliviously prepping for the last field party of the decade – and for some, the last party of their lives. Starring: Tom Keat, Dani Romero, Camille Blott, Trent Robichaud, Idalina Leandro, Sean Irvine and Shawn Vincent.
The 1980s brought some iconic, seminal cinema that has influenced countless films in the decades since, particularly when it comes to coming-of-age stories and All is Fine in ’89 doesn’t just take inspiration from them, it tries to recreate them entirely. Unfortunately, it tries to do that by not stepping outside of the playbook whatsoever, and copying their familiar themes beat for beat. The key problem with that is the world has progressed, a lot of the issues 1980s films explored are still relevant, but we can now recognise that they deserve to be explored with a little more nuance and sensitivity, which this film does not.
When it’s repeatedly hitting those overtly familiar notes, it makes the story and tone feel generic, which makes it difficult to invest in. The characters don’t have individual personalities or compelling qualities so watching them is simply going through the motions. An issue that’s then worsened by the quality of the performances, with most of them falling short. It’s tricky to really judge them given that they don’t have great material to work with, but the tone feels unavoidably insincere.
It also wades into some ethically murky territory by romanticising a student-teacher relationship. Nothing about the style or tone acknowledges the abusive, disgusting nature of their flirtation, so it feels very uncomfortable and incredibly misguided to include it. A key example of how Matthew Lupis is trying to recreate the 1980s rather than learning from them and creating something more appropriate and considerate. The style itself tries overly hard to commit to the era and it’s not convincing, it feels utterly staged and artificial.
Ultimately, All is Fine in ’89 doesn’t have anything new to say, it feels repetitive and forced. It’s going backwards rather than trying to translate beloved 1980s cinema into something for today’s audience. The performances are incredibly hit and miss, the script and tone don’t give them a lot to work with and unfortunately, it all feels insincere and occasionally quite creepy. It doesn’t truly come across as an homage or appreciation of the era, it purely feels like Lupis tried to copy and paste.
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