Soundtrack to Sixteen (2020) User Reviews

Simple but Heartfelt UK Coming-of-age Film Packs a Punch

[flyingmongoose · 7/10 · 28 March 2020]

Anyone who has been through the British secondary school system within the past 20 years will find this film uncomfortably familiar. Safe to say, everyone has their own uniquely puzzling and stressful adolescent years (which, as the film highlights, school environments can't help but exacerbate) and this certainly is the case for protagonists Maisy and Ben, whose difficulties feel all too real and relatable. For me, this has always been a time in my life which I would prefer not to revisit, yet Soundtrack to Sixteen took me straight back there with a vengeance, anxiety and all.

Far from being an existential horror fest however, the film is very good humoured and Maisy's and Ben's underlying sweetness brings a playfulness which compliments the film's quirkiness and depictions of teenage angst. On the whole, it is well balanced and paced without overstaying its (admittedly short) run time and never dissolves into pretentiousness.

Whilst budgeting restrictions are apparent (and I imagine its budget was smaller than comes across) the film plays to its strengths, thanks to some excellent direction and writing from Hillary and Anna Shakespeare along with a superb cast who bring the film together. Soundtrack to Sixteen won't change the way you see coming-of-age dramas but it will renew your faith in them.

Familiar formula, BORING execution

[cruzarts-73946 · 3/10 · 5 May 2020]

Firstly, the title: SOUNDTRACK To Sixteen: I kept trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean. It wasn't the dialogue or the music score -- as I really hoped. The only soundtrack that played through this film was of misanthropy and glumness.

The characters aren't engaging or well-formed. The nuance that defines winning films in this category just isn't here.

It takes way too long for the lead characters' paths to intersect and it doesn't feel feasible or natural. If it was a crowded situation in the same setting and they were thrust together, that would have been better than the concocted, forced encounter that appears.

Then the next half of the film plays before they connect.

What really plays out is all the bones of a SHORT FILM padded out to fill 93 minutes -- which turns out feeling much much longer.

Watching this at home in quarantine took almost three hours, because I kept getting distracted and the film didn't pull me in.

A refreshing, touching coming-of-age film

[jabondatti · 10/10 · 3 August 2020]

A real gem that doesn't conform to many of the boring trope of your typical teenage dramas. A beautifully touching insight into the pressures of school, friendship, and blossoming romance, from a truly refreshing perspective. I expect great things from this sister-duo in the future, who have clearly shown just a fraction of what they are capable of. Highly recommended.

Promising debut

[anvergottis · 8/10 · 2 April 2020]

What I liked most about the film is that it wasn't a nostalgia-fest, as much coming of age genre seem to be. It was an honest reflection of the glorious highs and crushing lows that occur (sometimes daily) at that age. I enjoyed it a great deal. Good performances and a solid directorial debut from the London-based Shakespeare Sisters.

A unique, hilarious, relatable film!

[Rania_ · 9/10 · 20 March 2020]

A genuinely hilarious and sweet film with a wonderfully crafted story line, accurately capturing the thoughts that go through a teenager's head and providing the audience with all the emotions!

Love Yourself And Soon You'll Find People Who Will Love You

[rannynm · 8/10 · 12 November 2021]

Soundtrack To Sixteen is a film every teen can relate to! Simple and easy to connect to watching these teens experience what it's like to fall in love and go against the status quo. You'll fall in love with these relatable characters.

The storyline follows teens Maisey (Scarlett Marshall) and Ben (Gino Wilson), two socially awkward teens navigating the world and trying to find their place in it, while falling in love with one another. The film is accompanied by rock music and voice overs provided by the main actors as their characters' thoughts.

This film accurately represents the lives of teens for whom finding their place in the world is difficult and they feel awkward and out of place. It's so refreshing to watch two characters go through their daily life experiences, and watching ourselves in them. The soundtrack is incredible. It's as if the songs represent the thoughts and emotions of the characters - all wild and crazy. The romance between Ben and Maisey is something very peaceful to watch, almost comforting. In society, it's rare to have a Romeo and Juliet romance. Watching these two characters have a calm relationship, get to know one another and still have insecurities is so beautiful because it's the relationship the majority of us experience. I really love the opening credits; they're a perfect way to open up the movie. It gives a wonderful introduction to the actors, and the unique sketches of the characters set the tone for the rest of the film. The perfect way to describe this movie is hilarious and definitely a feel-good flick.

The moral of the story is to love yourself and soon enough you'll find people who will love and relate to you. Maisey was always left out of her friend's group and, once she stopped worrying about trying to fit in, she meets Ben, who loves her for who she is. Ben, on the other hand, feels as though he needs to pretend to be someone he's not. His worries are quieted when he meets Maisey.

I give Soundtrack to Sixteen 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 14 to 18. By Heather S., KIDS FIRST!

Brought me back to being a teenager

[sheenaisrobertina · 10/10 · 25 March 2020]

Wonderful story, very well written and told. The dialogue was very authentic and funny. The actors were also good and well cast. I was entertained all along and it even moved me at the end.

A great coming of age film

[d_robinson-90268 · 10/10 · 24 April 2020]

Brought me right back to when I was a teenager reminding me of the insecurities that at that time seemed so large yet now are so small. There are some great lessons in the film. There are also great moments of comedy, you are encouraged to laugh with the producers at what seems perhaps an autobiographical satire of the teenage experience.

London IFF Opening

[jenna-suru · 10/10 · 20 March 2020]

Absolutely loved the Shakespeare Sisters' film which I saw at Prince Charles Cinema during its theatre run. First it's important to mention it's hilarious from beginning to end, while carrying a positive message for young generations. Editing and writing are brilliant, very well acted all the way through. A must watch!

A beautiful film. Sweet, crude at times, but always tender.

[fuegoenelsotano · 10/10 · 4 May 2020]

A first-hand portrait of adolescence. The young directors have reminded me of situations from my own adolescence that I had already forgotten.

Great movie

[saronin · 10/10 · 16 April 2020]

Really enjoyed it - laughed a lot and it brought me back to my teenage years!

Sweet but not Saccharine

[louiswib · 9/10 · 4 May 2020]

A beautifully heartfelt picture, Soundtrack to Sixteen captures a part of growing up that we leave behind too soon, exposing the sweetness of young love without becoming saccharine. Took me right back to high school and my final exams!

Great coming of age feel good film

[ryanryan-43497 · 10/10 · 2 April 2020]

A fantastic feel good film that is funny and heart warming while reminding you of all your awkward teenage moments.

Funny, poignant and utterly brilliant!

[jamie-hill-714-176196 · 9/10 · 27 April 2020]

Right from the off, I was laughing out loud. This movie is an utter gem, it's hilarious and conveys the painful awkwardness of negotiating teenage relationships perfectly. There are so many quirky little scenes that are an utter joy. I loved the inner dialogue of the lead characters in a scene on a bus, where they want to say one thing, and end up saying something utterly ridiculous instead. You'll have to watch it to find out why one of them was on the bus in her dressing gown.

One minute you're laughing out loud, and the next it grabs you with a real pang of pathos in the way Ricky Gervais has mastered. Brilliantly and directed by the Shakespeare sisters, and you really warm to the characters, willing them on to try not the make the same mistakes you did at school.

A heart-warming and intelligent piece of filmmaking

[doctorschlock-72762 · 10/10 · 20 March 2020]

Soundtrack To Sixteen is a perfect blend of adolescent comedy and drama. It's like a modern, British equivalent of an 80s John Hughes film.

I haven't seen a film display such a high level of sophisticated artistry in a long time. A glorious achievement in independent filmmaking.

A realistic and down to earth portrayal of teenage angst. The trials and tribulations of the young characters were so relatable, which is a credit to the exceptional acting, writing and directing.

This is one of the most impressive film debuts in recent years. The Shakespeare Sisters are undoubtedly talented artists and have a bright future ahead of them in the world of filmmaking.

A Superb Feel-Good Film

[bobmeader · 9/10 · 15 March 2020]

Soundtrack To Sixteen, where was this film when I was growing up? From the opening scene, I was hooked, not many films can do this so easily. This is a lovely film, a warm heartfelt film and a film in this day and age not to have gratuitous violence, sex and drugs and that is another reason it works so well. We all know what is happening in the World and we want escapism, which films used to give but rarely do these days, this film does. A huge credit must go to the writers and director, Ann-Elizabeth Shakespeare and Hillary Shakespeare, known as Shakespeare Sisters and this is their debut feature. The cast are superb, I do not know if they took a lot of time picking the right people but I do not think they could have found anyone better, all were superb. I must pick three people out though, Scarlett Marshall who plays the lead character of Maisy was brilliant. Funny, kooky, clumsy at times, like most teenagers who have a crush, sad and just awkward, all the traits of growing up, superbly acted. James Calloway who plays the love interest or not love interest, go see the film if you don't understand. He was superb as Ben, also all the teenage traits as Maisy. The chemistry between them was superb. I can see both of these actors going a long way. One special mention must go to Holly Wilderspin, who played Maisy's sister, she was fantastic.

All in all, as I said a feel-good film that we need these days, shot in fabulous colour with some great locations. I can only add, miss it at your peril.

Relatable story of the rubbishness of being 16

[cordeliajonesek · 9/10 · 27 December 2019]

A great film that really reminds me of what it was like to be 16 and growing up awkwardly! Perfect snuggle on the sofa and reminisce film, although not always great to recall some of the cringy moments of being a teenager! The directors have done other films too, I think, will be checking them out.

Sweet and funny

[rosamundsh · 10/10 · 19 November 2019]

A wonderful film full of the joys and tribulations of youth. Sweet, funny, it reminds us of how we were. Well acted with great characters, really loved it

The coming of age feel good movie we needed

[maddiekenner · 8/10 · 20 March 2020]

Loved the film when seeing for the first time at Prince Charles. Fresh, young and the relatable British teen story we needed. Defo recommend a watch!

Love the setting!

[pancakes20178 · 8/10 · 4 March 2020]

I love how it's set in the 2000s and also the beautiful Barbican locations! A wonderful film, looking forward to whatever the Shakespeare sisters have in store for them.

Emotional truth

[Stephan-shakespeare · 10/10 · 19 November 2019]

This film really gets to the emotional truth of being 16 - the intensity yet fleetingness of the feelings around love and relationships and... exam stress! A really touching and funny film

A Charming and Delightfully Watchable Film

[tamasher · 9/10 · 2 April 2020]

Very clever and witty dialogue. Well shot. Well acted. Nice sound design.

A great portrayal of contemporary teen society, but what I found most fascinating was the nuanced portrayal of the beta female heroine and her desperate attempts to insinuate herself into the alpha female clique, and all the vicious, humiliating microaggression she endured in her quest.

Makes you feel 16 again!

[parisa_khaneghah · 9/10 · 1 February 2020]

I love this film. It feels like watching a classic British romantic comedy, set in school. It captures better than any other film I have seen the particular (kind of fun) anxiety and hysteria that comes with taking your exams while trying to navigate teenage social structures and expectations. Hugely nostalgic.

Funny and Charming

[alion-72477 · 9/10 · 24 April 2020]

Unique British small film, took me back to early / mid noughties on an adventure through time to my A levels

Fun film!

[johncreative · 9/10 · 24 March 2020]

Very comical and moving, with some fine performances. The pace doesn't falter and the audience loved it! Well worth seeing