a documentary about a fifteen year old boy growing up in a small town in maine, a boy who likes rock n'roll, movies, books and girls. there are plenty of films made about growing up-- a lot of them documentaries--but this one is particularly true, and its subject truely exceptional. billy is at once unusually smart and achingly typical, and through him you might remember your own adolescence--the whole exciting, horrible muck of it.
there's a moment in robert altman's commentary on 3 women where he describes pinkie and millie's struggle just to get through life: he describes them as brave. just to be an upright, living person is a difficult thing. billy the kid reminds me of this, too.
above, what i'd like to imagine is one of billy's favorite pictures of himself.
this is my favorite movie of the year so far.
see this movie. see this movie.
