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| DIRECTED BY |
| Don Owen |
| STARRING |
| Peter Kastner |
| Julie Biggs |
| Toby Tarnow |
| Charmion King |
| John Vernon |
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Here�s a very perceptive Canadian film that was made by the National Film Board of Canada, but it actually isn�t as formal or boring as most, including myself, would initially suspect. For a film made about teenagers in the 1960s, it holds up remarkably well and really doesn�t seem that dated thanks to the spontaneous acting of all of the cast, giving the film an interesting ambience of cinema verit�.
It�s a shame that charismatic actor Peter Kastner, who plays the ambivalent youth here who just wants to be given the opportunity to make a life for himself but can�t seem to leap over the obstacles, never attained a whole lot of recognition after his heartfelt performance in this film.
What probably would have made this film sink into obscurity over the decades is if director Don Owen decided to get tricky or stylish with his camerawork; instead, he keeps it simple, and although the cinematography is shaky and obtrusive at times (he could have been a little more discrete with the zooms,) it never seems awkward or contrived. �Nobody Waved Goodbye� shines in the area of dialogue, which is quickly and genuinely exchanged between characters in what seems like an improvisation but still stays on track.
Probably next to �The 400 Blows,� this modest Canadian film is the oldest film that I�ve seen that still manages to depict the youthful experience with complete verisimilitude. Peter is wayward, frustrated, determined, and reasonably intelligent. He is not, however, aimless by any means - he has ambitions that he would like to see through, but the sheer volume of the world around him combined with an extreme lack of support from his loved ones prevents him from making much progress. It doesn�t sound particularly original today - but it certainly still sounds true, doesn�t it?
