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If you caught Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck this week, you’ll recognize Over the Edge as a movie that had an impact on a young Kurt Cobain’s worldview. Released in 1979 and directed by Jonathan Kaplan, the film was critically acclaimed albeit not a box-office smash. Since its release, however, it has established a cult following, especially since it directly influenced Nirvana’s monumental music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Taking place in the fictional planned community of New Granada, Over the Edge follows a group of teenagers who grow listless and bored in their somewhat secluded town. While their parents focus their attention on building up the real estate market in order to drive money into New Granada, the kids turn to vandalism and drugs, especially when the local recreation center is closed, leaving the local youth to come up with their own forms of entertainment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ereen__ld8g]The communication between the parents and their kids is nearly non-existent. Naturally, that only encourages the typical problems that have befallen adults and teenagers for generations — although in the case of Over the Edge, the kids act out in violent ways in an effort to express their angst and confusion.
With a late ’70s soundtrack featuring the Ramones, the Cars, and Cheap Trick, and a very young Matt Dillon (in a crop top, no less), Over the Edge is a perfect piece of film history that examines the deadly side of teen angst — bridging the gap between a classic like Rebel Without a Cause and the more contemporary cinematic assessment in Spring Breakers. And its influence on modern popular culture is unavoidable.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg]
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