In Spontaneous, Katherine Langford becomes a high school hero in the midst of a very real global pandemic.

The coming-of-age high school comedy is an iconic Hollywood genre, one of the few places where young female characters have historically been presented and written as real people, with real voices, demonstrating strength and perseverance even when dealing with a variety of exaggerated problems. but universal problems.

From Samantha Baker (16 Candles) Chris Parker (Adventures in Babysitting), Veronica Sawyer (Heathers) Olive Pendergast (Easily), such characters served as a source of inspiration and role models.

They have helped other young women around the world find their own voice and have helped who knows how many young men learn not only how to talk to girls, but how to treat them with respect and, more importantly, how to listen to them. what they need and want.

Well guess what, it’s time to add another name to the list of the greatest of all time: Mara Carlisle.

Mara (Katherine Langford) is your average high school student, except she’s not. She’s outspoken, quick-witted, and terribly self-aware. She checks out obscure films, (literally) bites the hand of a fan who thinks it’s okay to touch her without permission, and in one hysterical flashback, she wears a mourning veil and all in black the day after Donald Trump was elected president.

When the teacher asks why she’s dressed so severely, Mara doesn’t miss a beat: “Because I’m grieving like hell.”

But when her classmates begin randomly exploding in a shower of blood and gore, whether in class, on the soccer field, or at a party, Mara becomes a beacon of hope not only for her fictional friends, but for any student or college student. a slightly older viewer is watching Spontaneous

in the midst of a very real global pandemic.

Spontaneous It’s a delight. It’s edgy, unnerving, surprisingly dark and, like Mara, wise beyond its years.

It takes the traditional structure and narrative thrust of the classic coming-of-age story and completely subverts it, which is very applicable to the current COVID-19 crisis.

I encourage no one to fall in love with Mara and her beautifully written and beautifully acted love story with Dylan (Charlie Plummer), a boy who finds the courage to finally admit his feelings even as the world falls apart around him.

More important, Spontaneous he’s incredibly smart.

Through the eyes, words and actions of Mara, Spontaneous offers the perfect plan for dealing with the ups and downs and all the possible unexpected obstacles that life can throw our way.

I can’t think of a better movie to make at this critical time.

John W. Allman worked as a professional journalist and author for more than 25 years, but he loved movies his whole life. Good movies, terrible movies, movies that are so bad you can’t help but root for them. Since 2009, he has written a review column and now a website dedicated to often overlooked genre films and interviews with such cult film favorites as George A. Romero, Bruce Campbell and Dee Wallace. Contact him at

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