British teen movies have been few and far between over the years, with British teenagers over the years having to rely on the American market for their focus.

The American teen drama has tremendous crossover appeal in the UK, thanks to talented casts and crews who have given us some memorable moments over the years, be it the John Hughes films like THE BREAKFAST CLUB, PRETTY IN PINK and SIXTEEN CANDLES, or the dark comic tones of films like HEATHERS and PORKY’S, which explore the much more honest perspective of a generation that renews itself every decade, but which manage to give repeated pleasure.

So, it is with great delight that we have a film on the big-screen that celebrates all that real British uncertainty that comes from that time in life when you are about to end your compulsory education and which your status is defined by how many GCSEs you have and how many party invites you get from your peers.

For some, that is a badge of honour, but for the majority like myself who weren’t invited, we had to find our place elsewhere.

In the brand-new film SOUNDTRACK TO SIXTEEN, it is the turn of Maisy Tennison (Scarlett Marshall), your typical school pupil and aspiring likeable kid who switches loyalties from her circle of friends to try and be part of the cool clique and finds out very quickly at a party she goes to, persuading her dad to take her ‘friends’ alongside her in a rather embarrassing car journey where he humiliates her without meaning to, that she is out of her league.

At the same party, equally awkwardly feeling teenager Ben Maxwell (James Calloway) is trying to fit in when he and his clique of friends blag their way into the same place, but finds himself quickly out of it. Whilst on a bus ride, Ben encounters Maisy, who has been humiliated at a sleep over and is in her pyjamas and the two of them bond over exam revision.

However, Maisy’s overreaching desire to be liked has a knock-on effect on her well-being for all she is in touch with…

Co-directed by sisters Anna-Elizabeth and Hillary Shakespeare, SOUNDTRACK TO SIXTEEN is based on their own experiences at school and captures the essence of what British teenagers go through during a challenging time when they are faced with the first of their most challenging choices as they head towards the next phase of their lives.

Shot independently with a limited budget and shot on location around London, this is a wonderfully reflective labour of love about the trials and tribulations of adolescence, which has some wonderfully sensitive performances from the two lead actors, who bond very well and capture insightfully the emotional status quo that is neither sentimental or weak-minded.

Older viewers will be taken back in a flash to their own emotional journey, thanks to a supporting cast that acquit themselves perfectly.

A heart-warming and real emotional experience.

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