| dc.description.abstract | Boot Party is a fictional screenplay consisting of essentially three acts which concerns an adolescent punk rocker in 1986 Denton, Texas called Jonah. Jonah leaves home following a violent confrontation with his stepfather and is taken in by a Dallas skinhead gang. He becomes infatuated with a skinhead girl, Victoria, the dilettante daughter of an English diplomat and finds himself drawn into the violent camaraderie of the group. After stabbing a member of a rival gang, fearing prosecution, Jonah, Victoria, and three companions, leave Dallas for Chicago. On the run from the law and pursued by a racist killer, Jonah follows Victoria deep into the realm of the original American skinhead cult, where in his adolescent quest for identity he encounters violence and personal betrayal. Boot Party explores the world of a particular subculture, or youth cult, as it is experienced by Jonah in 1986, but shares themes and situations found in films such as The Outsiders, Quadrophenia, Over The Edge, Suburbia, This is England, and Wassup Rockers. These films, which are fictional treatments of real-life subcultures, represent what I think is a specific genre in which adolescent protagonists, finding themselves completely incompatible with parents, other authority figures, and same-age peers are drawn to youth cults. With members unwilling or unable to conform to the mainstream culture, the youth cult, whether it consists of greasers, mods, skinheads or punks, functions as a substitute family for the protagonist. Ultimately this family proves so lacking in mature leadership, authority, and resources that it cannot sustain itself and is eventually subdued by authorities or destroyed from within. The protagonist is sometimes left disenchanted and still unable or unwilling to fully reconcile with the mainstream. Boot Party and other films of this 'youth-in-revolt' genre present audiences with opportunities to explore life outside the mainstream and possibly foster an understanding for those who inhabit that world in real life. In this way I hope audiences can draw from their own adolescent experience when considering Boot Party and make that connection with Jonah and the other characters. | |
