Cert 15 Stars 2

Full of the aching yearning and confusion of teenage life but with none of the excitement or fun, this bittersweet and heartfelt coming of age high school romantic drama is based on Krystal Sutherland’s novel and very much a passion project for writer, producer and director Richard Tanne.

Austin Abrams stars as pretentious shoe gazing teenager Henry, who’s never been in love but quickly becomes infatuated with a new classmate when they’re thrown together to edit the college magazine.

Lili Reinhart is nicely brittle and defensive as Grace, who while tolerating Henry’s attentions, is dealing with issues of which he can barely imagine and her affection for him is far more ambivalent than his is for her.

Anchored in an unremarkable small town American setting, there’s an earnest and whimsical edge to a story bursting with nostalgia for lovesick teenage years and seemingly endless discussions of life, love and limbo.

It should appeal to any literary-minded angst-ridden love sick teenagers you have moping around the house, but for anyone else it would make a fine substitute for sleeping pills.