All is Fine in '89

With the 80s now somewhat back in vogue, there has been an influx of offerings that have looked to capitalise on the recent rebirth of love for the decade. But All is Fine in '89 transcends mere trend chasing; it’s a film that uses that period to tell enduringly relevant stories.

The year is 1989. The Berlin Wall is coming down, and the world enters a period of post-Cold War optimism for the first time in decades. In one typical American high school, a group of seniors eagerly await their last-ever field party before graduation, full of hope and excitement for their futures. But for some, the night holds twists and turns that will drastically shape the rest of their lives.

Writer/director Matthew Lupis and their team’s dedication to period authenticity here is impeccable. From the hairstyles and the clothing to the soundtrack and the era’s sometimes colourful but distinctive language, every detail feels as authentic and thought out as one would hope. All this meticulous attention to detail goes miles towards creating a loving and bona fide representation of that point in time, and equally creates a fitting homage to classics of the era, such as The Breakfast Club and Fast Times at Ridgemont High while also cementing itself as a future classic in its own right.

Aside from that, over its near hundred-minute runtime, All is Fine in '89 manages to run the gamut on what are still incredibly pertinent topics such masculinity, sexuality, domestic abuse, sexual violence, hope and despair in equal measure, proving that the film is not just here to entertain, but to say something.

But for it all to truly land, like those aforementioned classics did before it, you need a cast to get behind and ultimately believe in, and All is Fine in '89 has an ensemble teeming with great acting talent, who all together breathe new life into the character staples we’ve come to know and love from the genre.

Hawco’s charismatic Dean Marino leads the bad boy rebels, only ever interested in girls and a good time, turning up to class every once in a while just to ogle over the young, hot teacher and ignored wife, Mrs. Applewood (Handley). Keat’s Cole Sullivan fills the role of the bullying jock, his constant torment of Adam’s Lupis’ Mark as well his own inner anguish are central to the films tense boiling point, all of whom are accompanied by a host of supporting characters that make this world seem as full and real as it possibly could be. However, it’s Dani Romero’s devastatingly nuanced performance as Linda that deserves top prize, effortlessly carrying what is perhaps the biggest and most demanding storyline of the film with sensitivity and emotion that hits hard.

With its highly respectable investment in its period setting and patient approach in establishing characters and the complex dynamics between them, All is Fine in '89 undoubtedly delivers and entertains with all the hallmarks of a classic that keeps you guessing right until the end and completely invested in each character's destiny.