The “high school dramedy” is a tried and true genre that (arguably) everyone can relate to in some form or another. Teen angst and the tumultuousness of that life period before you are officially deemed an adult is a universal experience, and, for whatever reason, the 1980s are so often reserved to explore such. Whether it’s through the lens of something more sexually charged or a softer, coming-of-age temperament, the teen experience promises a wealth of exploration, and writer/director Matthew Lupis does so in All Is Fine in ’89, a dramatic comedy that feels more lived-in than some of the other 80s-inspired titles of late that aim for a more pressed nostalgic feeling over something that exists more organically.
The year is 1989 (obviously) and the Berlin Wall is coming down, leading the world into an entrance of post-Cold War optimism that hasn’t been experienced in decades. This event serves as the backdrop for Lupis’ narrative, where, in a typical American high school (Romano High), the students and faculty are prepping for, to some, the last-ever field party of the decade and, for others, the last celebration of their high school existence.
Lupis can’t entirely escape the usual trappings of these films, where the night itself will hold a series of events that will forever shape them going forward, but the authenticity to proceedings means All Is Fine in ’89 gets away with any of its familiarity. This is more than a film just recreating the era, but actually born from the period itself, where the usual flourishes – the music, the attire – don’t feel exaggerated or obvious.
Of course, what helps All Is Fine in ’89 sell so much of its melodramatic, oft heavy material – domestic and sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, questioning sexuality – is the ensemble at hand, who, whilst all adhering to a certain archetype, inject so with their respective charm; Dylan Hawco as the “bad boy” Dean Marino, Tom Keat‘s Cole Sullivan, the bullying jock, whose perennial victim (Adam Lupis‘ Mark) leads to a certain inner anguish that expectedly boils over, and Shelby Handley‘s Mrs. Applewood, a young, desired teacher, who garners far more attention at school than she does in her own home, just to name a few.
Whilst there is a certain simplicity to All Is Fine in ’89‘s structure, it manages a complex temperament in how it frames its characters and their respective arcs. In many ways it has a spirituality in common with defining films of the genre like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, which transcended their setting with the universality of their storytelling. The irony of anything being “fine” in any context for a burgeoning teenager is not lost, but Lupis’ film revels in the assurance that, for anyone feeling like their alone in the world, you will, in fact, make it through.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
All Is Fine in ’89 is currently securing digital distribution to be released by early 2026.
