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The surprising power of dark teen comedy ‘Spontaneous’

by TYLER WILSON/Coeur Voice contributor
| January 16, 2021 1:00 AM

Cramming season always provides a few surprises.

I spend much of early January watching as many of the previous year’s movies as I can. I purposefully publish a “Best of” list for the Press in late January, as I don’t get most of the screeners offered to critics living in bigger cities. I never feel the urgency to settle on a Top 10 too early, and since the Oscars added two extra months of screening eligibility (January and February 2021), I feel the pressure even less this year.

Whenever I watch too many films of the same “type,” they begin to bleed together. In a year dominated by small indie dramas, I’ve noticed a need for an occasional palette cleanser, be it a genre film or something with no chance of making a Top 10 list.

(Side note: One recent palette cleanser was the recent “Cats” adaptation, now airing on HBO Max. Do NOT watch this movie. Ever.).

In looking for something “lighter,” I decided to rent “Spontaneous,” a high school romantic comedy with a seeming horror twist. The central premise: High school seniors are suddenly stricken with a mysterious condition in which they randomly explode with a big, bloody POP! The first explosion happens in the first minute of the movie, and nobody knows why, when or who might be the next victim.

It’s a morbidly goofy premise, and the film cuts the tragedy with dark humor in the form of sardonic commentary from the protagonist, Mara, played by “13 Reasons Why” standout Katherine Langford. Struggling to make sense of the random threat, she’s approached by a classmate, Dylon (Charlie Plummer), who’s been harboring a crush on Mara for years but was previously too afraid to approach her. When you might explode at any second, it’s best to make the most of whatever time you have left.

Despite being consistently funny, “Spontaneous” doesn’t shy away from the lingering psychological consequences of trauma. Writer/director Brian Duffield uses Mara’s wit to approach the topic in a way that might be too emotionally-draining in a traditional drama about loss, especially as the film serves as a pointed commentary on school shootings and the cultural reaction to them.

The explosive metaphor also broadly applies to the nature of being a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, as the (surviving) characters here balance their fears of combustion with questions about college and careers. But by interjecting so much death into the story, Duffield understands the movie needs to be about something more than teenage insecurity.

Although shot well before the pandemic, “Spontaneous” takes on additional context. At a time when so many feel helpless about an “unseen threat,” the anxieties explored in the film can be directly applied.

While that’s a fortuitous coincidence, “Spontaneous” gets the most dramatic mileage from how Mara and the other characters wrestle with survivor’s remorse. Why are they spared? Could they have done something to prevent the tragedy? Will they ever really be safe? It’s a dramatically-loaded situation, and the film explores these difficult, sometimes existential questions without devolving into insufferable weepiness.

Despite garnering strong reviews, “Spontaneous” released on VOD quietly earlier this fall. In a normal year, with a typical theatrical release, the movie might have been a fascinating litmus test for general audiences. I suspect it could’ve been a big hit, despite its bloody, melancholy leanings. It’s the movie that’s stuck with me most this past month.

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Tyler Wilson has been writing professionally about movies for Inland Northwest publications since 2000. He is the co-host of “Old Millennials Remember Movies,” available everywhere you get podcasts. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.